Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a new computational approach to help identify two-dimensional materials that may host unusual quantum behaviour. The work, published in Science Advances focuses on materials with “flat bands”, electronic states where electrons have very little kinetic energy. In these materials, interactions between electrons can become much more important, creating conditions linked to phenomena such as magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and topological electronic behaviour.  

Finding real materials with flat bands from large dataset is difficult. Conventional searches often rely on density functional theory calculations, which can reveal a material’s electronic structure but are time-consuming when applied across thousands of possible candidates. The Manchester team took a different route. They developed a physics-informed scoring system that captures two signatures of flat-band behaviour, low band dispersion and a strong peak in the density of states, then trained a model to estimate that score directly from atomic structure. 

“Flat bands are not only a feature we see in electronic calculations. They are often connected to the geometry of atoms in a material.” said Dr Xiangwen Wang, leading author of the study. “Our approach learns from that structure, which means we can search much larger materials spaces in a more targeted and interpretable way.” 

The framework was trained using known two-dimensional materials and then applied to more than 10,000 unlabelled 2D materials. Among high-scoring candidates with kagome-like structural motifs, follow-up quantum calculations confirmed flat-band behaviour with 98.2% accuracy. The study also identified several materials predicted to host fragile topological flat bands, a form of electronic topology associated with strongly correlated quantum phases. These results suggest that the method can do more than sort large datasets, it can help reveal which structural features make certain materials promising for further study. 

Dr Qian Yang, Senior Research Fellow in the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester, said: “The exciting part is not only that we found new candidate materials, but that the method changes how we search. Rather than calculating everything first and looking afterwards, we can now use physical intuition and structural learning to guide the search from the beginning. That makes discovery more scalable and more interpretable.” 

The approach remains computational, so experimental work will be needed to test the most promising candidates in the laboratory. However, the researchers say the same strategy could be adapted to search for other classes of quantum materials, provided the target property can be expressed as a meaningful physics-based score. By connecting physical insight with structure-based learning, the study offers a more efficient way to move from large materials databases to shortlists of candidates for detailed quantum calculations and experimental validation. 

Researchers from Professor Radha Boya’s team in The University of Manchester’s Department of Physics and the National Graphene Institute, working with Diamond Light Source and Freie Universität Berlin, found that water reorganises in surprising ways at the smallest molecular scales. Hydrogen bonds give water many of its familiar properties, but until now it has been extremely difficult to test what happens when water is forced into a flat, single-layer arrangement because the amount of material is so small. 

By combining atomically precise nanochannels with the ultra-bright synchrotron infrared microbeam at Diamond Light Source’s MIRIAM beamline B22, the team was able to measure the vibrational modes of water confined down to a single molecular layer. 

Professor Radha Boya from The University of Manchester said: “You can think of bulk water as a three-dimensional network where each molecule is constantly forming and breaking hydrogen bonds in all directions. When you squash water into a single layer, that network simply cannot hold together in the same way. For the first time, we were able to directly see how those bonds rearrange in this extreme limit.” 

The researchers created angstrom-scale slit channels using stacks of two-dimensional materials, including graphite and hexagonal boron nitride. These materials acted as both atomically smooth confining walls and optical amplifiers, boosting the weak infrared absorption signal from just a single layer of water. 

Infrared spectroscopy is highly sensitive to the stretching vibrations of O-H bonds within water molecules. By comparing water in channels of different heights with water in bulk regions of the same device, the researchers tracked how those vibrational frequencies changed as the water layer became thinner, down to a monolayer. 

The team found that when water is confined to a true monolayer, its infrared absorption spectrum shifts to higher frequencies. Dr Gianfelice Cinque of Diamond Light Source said: “My first excitement was being able to measure, at beamline B22, the vibrational fingerprint of a single monolayer of water. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the transition from 3D to 2D water has been directly detected with an infrared microprobe. The blue shift is a clear sign that the hydrogen-bonding network is disrupted compared with bulk water.” 

“Our measurements show that monolayer water does not resemble a flat version of ordinary liquid water,” added Professor Boya. “Instead, it forms a fragmented, mosaic-like structure made up of small hydrogen-bonded clusters surrounded by poorly bound or free molecules.” 

The study also showed that this behaviour is specific to the monolayer limit. Once the channels exceeded around one nanometre in height, equivalent to roughly three molecular layers of water, the vibrational signatures began to move back towards those of bulk water, indicating recovery of a more conventional hydrogen-bond network.

To understand the origin of these spectral changes, the experiments were supported by atomistic simulations. Professor Roland Netz of Freie Universität Berlin said: “Despite the disrupted bonding, monolayer water is unexpectedly dense and structurally distinct from both bulk water and simple interfacial water at surfaces.” 

The findings provide direct experimental evidence for long-standing theoretical predictions about two-dimensional water and offer a benchmark for future studies of confined fluids. 

Dr Marcos Martins, first author of the study at The University of Manchester, said: “Water confined at this scale plays a role in everything from nanofluidic devices to biological channels and energy technologies. Having a direct experimental picture of how its structure changes at the single-layer limit helps us understand the physical rules that govern these systems.” 

The ability to directly measure how water reorganises at the single-layer limit could help researchers design better angstrom-scale technologies, including nanofluidic circuits, selective membranes, and electrochemical and energy devices where confined water shapes interfacial behaviour. The same platform could also be used to study other ultrathin liquids and solvated ions, expanding experimental access to extreme confinement in materials science and biology. 

Professor Roman Gorbachev, based in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the National Graphene Institute (NGI), will lead the five-year project “Future van der Waals Nanotechnologies”. The programme focuses on establishing new capabilities for producing high-quality 2D material heterostructures at wafer scale, supporting applications in electronics, quantum technologies and telecommunications. 

While van der Waals heterostructures can be engineered with high precision, most work to date has been limited to micrometre-scale samples. The project will address this by developing fabrication methods that operate at millimetre and wafer scales, enabling more consistent device performance and compatibility with industrial processes. 

Central to the programme is the development of a new ultra-high vacuum (UHV) fabrication platform designed to eliminate contamination between layers during assembly. This builds on recent advances from Professor Gorbachev’s group, including the creation of ultra-clean heterostructures using bespoke instrumentation. 

The fellowship will also establish a UK-based “2D Material Electronics” hub, providing access to advanced fabrication capabilities for academic and industrial users. By linking materials growth with device development, the initiative aims to accelerate progress in areas such as low-power electronics, neuromorphic computing and quantum technologies. 

This project builds on sustained research in this space. Some recent papers from the group include studies published in journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Electronics, reflecting ongoing work on nanofabrication, electronic and optical properties of 2D materials, and their integration into device architectures. 

Professor Gorbachev has 20 years experience in graphene and 2D materials research, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and a track record of developing new experimental approaches for nanofabrication and characterisation. His work has contributed to instrumentation and techniques now used by research groups internationally.  

The project will support a multidisciplinary team of researchers and technical specialists, alongside collaborations with partners across the UK and internationally. By developing scalable fabrication methods and strengthening links between fundamental research and application, the programme aims to support the next phase of 2D materials development and their translation into emerging technologies.

Professor Roman Gorbachev, based in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the National Graphene Institute (NGI), will lead the £3m five-year project Van der Waals Nanomachines (ATOMSTEP). The ERC Advanced Grant scheme is among the most competitive in Europe, supporting established researchers to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven science.

Professor Gorbachev said: "This project aims to establish a new approach to controlling motion at the nanoscale using two-dimensional materials. By developing electrically driven nanomachines, we will be able to study and assemble atomic-scale systems in ways that are not currently possible."

The project will combine atomically thin materials into engineered structures, van der Waals heterostructures, whose electronic and mechanical properties can be precisely controlled. From these, the team will build a new class of on-chip nanomachines that move in controlled, atomic-scale steps, able to move and position atomic-scale objects with high precision. The work brings together the fundamental behaviour of layered materials, the design and construction of the nanomachines themselves, and their use in emerging technologies, including quantum devices.

The research will be carried out at the NGI, which provides specialist facilities for nanofabrication and advanced characterisation. It builds on the group's recent work on ultra-clean fabrication of van der Waals heterostructures and atomic-scale imaging, published in journals including Nature Nanotechnology, Science and Nature Electronics, and further strengthens Manchester's position as a centre for advanced materials science.

The new laboratory has been designed as a shared research and innovation space, providing GEIC partners, researchers and technology developers with access to specialist facilities that support a growing range of bioengineering applications. 

Built to Containment Level 2 (CL2) standards and approved for Genetically Modified Organism Class 1 (GM1) work, the facility significantly broadens the scope of projects that can be undertaken within the GEIC. The addition strengthens the Centre's ability to support organisations seeking to develop and scale innovations that combine advanced materials, biotechnology and engineering. 

The laboratory opens new possibilities across a range of application areas, including biosensing, antimicrobial technologies, environmental monitoring, mineral extraction, healthcare and sustainable industrial processes. Supported by GEIC's experienced team of application specialists, the facility will help partners accelerate the development and commercialisation of new technologies. 

The new facility complements the GEIC's existing capabilities in materials development, de-risking and scale-up, providing an environment for multidisciplinary projects that combine biological and advanced materials. 

Since the opening of the GEIC in 2018 we have had to be responsive to industries and the market’s needs. This new bioengineering facility shows our commitment to investing in keeping the GEIC a relevant world class facility. – Phil Hirst, Technical Manager, GEIC. 

The bioengineering laboratory reflects the GEIC's continued evolution in response to emerging industry needs, creating new opportunities for collaboration and the translation of research into commercial applications. It further strengthens the GEIC’s position as a leading hub for advanced materials innovation and industrial partnership. 

To discover how the GEIC can support your next project, explore our full range of capabilities: https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/geic/our-capabilities

The work focuses on tellurium, a semiconductor of interest for electronic, thermoelectric and optoelectronic applications, where performance depends strongly on the size and shape of the nanostructures produced. Although liquid-phase synthesis is a scalable and relatively low-cost way to make these materials, it has been difficult to observe exactly how anisotropic tellurium structures begin to form and evolve during growth.

Using liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, the researchers tracked the early stages of tellurium formation at the nanoscale. They found that tellurium first appears as spherical seed particles, which then give rise to multiple nanowires. During growth, nearby wires compete for available material, affecting local growth speed and branching. Across the experiments, local nanowire growth rates were measured in the range of 1 to 15 nm per second, depending on electron flux and the presence of neighbouring structures.

Professor Sarah Haigh, corresponding author at The University of Manchester and the National Graphene Institute, said: “This study lets us see, in real time, how tellurium nanowires emerge and evolve in liquid. By directly observing nucleation, growth and branching at the nanoscale, we can begin to understand how to control these processes much more precisely. That matters because the performance of tellurium-based materials depends strongly on their size and shape.”

A second key finding was that bismuth seed nanoparticles dramatically change how tellurium grows. In the microscopy experiments, bismuth increased the number of nucleation sites and promoted more highly branched, fern-like structures. Follow-up electrodeposition experiments confirmed that bismuth also lowers the reducing potential needed for tellurium deposition and can substantially increase the amount of tellurium deposited under the same conditions. Together, these results show how insights from real-time microscopy can guide more effective materials synthesis outside the microscope.

Dr Yi-Chao Zou, co-corresponding author, said: “One of the most exciting aspects of this work is that the behaviour we observed in the liquid cell translated into conventional electrodeposition experiments. We found that bismuth seeding not only promotes tellurium nucleation but also makes deposition easier and more productive at a fixed potential. That opens up new possibilities for designing tellurium nanostructures with tailored morphologies for future device applications.”

The study, a collaboration between Sun Yat-sen University, The University of Manchester, the National Graphene Institute and Beijing Institute of Technology, suggests that real-time microscopy can do more than describe nanostructure growth. In this case, it identified a specific way to alter nucleation behaviour and improve deposition under defined experimental conditions. That could help researchers refine how tellurium nanostructures are produced for device-relevant studies, while keeping claims closely tied to the systems tested here.  The team report the findings could help accelerate the optimisation of low-dimensional nanostructures for electronics, energy conversion and sensing applications.

The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates how placing graphene close to a magnetic material can influence the spin of electrons without permanently altering graphene itself. By combining this magnetic proximity effect with graphene superlattices and operating at very low charge densities, the researchers were able to strongly tune how spins move through the material. 

“This work shows that by combining graphene with nearby magnetic materials, we can gain a high level of control over electron spin using electrical signals alone,” said Dr Daniel Burrow, from The University of Manchester. “In simple terms, we are learning how to pass information through graphene using the spin of electrons rather than their electrical charge.” 

Electron spin is a quantum property that can act like a tiny magnetic compass needle. While conventional electronics rely on the movement of charge, spin-based approaches aim to use this magnetic degree of freedom to process and carry information, potentially reducing energy losses. 

In the study, the team used cobalt contacts to induce magnetism in graphene through proximity, meaning the graphene itself does not become magnetic. They then injected and detected pure spin currents, allowing them to probe how spin transport changes across different electronic regimes. 

Near the charge neutrality point, where graphene has very few mobile charge carriers, the researchers observed a clear reversal of the spin signal. This behaviour indicates that the magnetic proximity effect creates a spin dependent energy splitting in graphene, which governs how spins travel through the material. 

Importantly, the same effect was also observed at additional neutrality points that appear when graphene is precisely aligned with hexagonal boron nitride. These so called superlattice features show that proximity induced spin control applies not only to graphene’s original electronic bands but also to those reconstructed by the superlattice structure. 

“Our measurements show that the same underlying mechanism controls spin transport across all these regimes,” said Dr Burrow. “That tells us we are seeing a robust physical effect rather than something specific to a single device setting.”

The strongest signals were observed in a bilayer graphene superlattice device designed to open an energy gap in the electronic structure. In this specific system, the researchers measured spin polarisations approaching 50 per cent and nonlocal spin resistances exceeding 300 ohms. These values are nearly two orders of magnitude larger than those measured away from charge neutrality in the same experimental platform. 

The study shows that low carrier density, combined with magnetic proximity effects and engineered band structure, can greatly enhance spin filtering and detection. While the work focuses on demonstrating the physics, the authors note that electrical control of spin at low power could be relevant for future spin based electronic technologies. 

“This research shows that we can engineer graphene systems where spin signals become both large and electrically tunable,” said Dr Jesus Toscano Figueroa, a co-author of the study. “That opens up new ways to explore spin transport in two-dimensional materials and brings us closer to using these effects in practical devices.” 

The team, Industrially Viable Solid State Lithium Metal Batteries, received the Stephanie L Kwolek Prize for developing a scalable solid-state lithium metal battery architecture that integrates nanocarbon-enhanced cathodes with solid electrolytes.

The award recognises a collaboration between researchers at PETRONAS, The University of Manchester, and Deakin University in Melbourne. Their work focuses on overcoming key barriers to the commercialisation of solid-state lithium metal batteries, including improving energy density, safety and manufacturability. 

Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte found in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a solid alternative, offering potential advantages in stability and performance. However, challenges remain in ensuring reliable operation at scale. The team’s approach combines nanocarbon-enhanced cathodes with solid electrolytes to deliver a design that can be manufactured using processes compatible with industry. 

The RSC Horizon Prizes, introduced in 2020, recognise teams working on innovative projects at the frontiers of the chemical sciences. The prizes highlight collaborative research that addresses global challenges and demonstrates significant progress towards practical applications.

Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “The purpose of the Horizon Prizes is to recognise those who are pioneering new techniques, technologies and discoveries. Our winners demonstrate how expertise from across chemistry and related disciplines can be brought together to tackle some of the most pressing global challenges.” 

The Manchester researchers contributed expertise in nanomaterials and their integration into functional devices, building on the University’s strengths in advanced materials and energy research. Their involvement in the project reflects ongoing collaborations with international partners and industry to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies. 

The prize is one of a number of Horizon Prizes awarded this year by the RSC, which form part of a wider programme recognising excellence in research, innovation and education across the chemical sciences. 

In a new study published in Physical Review X, the team demonstrates how electrons can travel ballistically, i.e. without experiencing any scattering or resistance, over micrometre distances in graphene at low temperature and maintain spin coherence all the way up to room temperature. By using a technique known as transverse magnetic focusing (TMF), they were able to bend electron trajectories like light rays traversing a lens and show that these curved paths carry a clear spin signature.

Manchester-based Co-author Dr Daniel Burrow said, “What’s exciting here is that we can shape the path of electrons in graphene and, at the same time, tune how their spins behave. It’s a bit like using a set of lenses and mirrors, but for spin-polarised electrons. This opens a practical way to control spin without needing strong spin–orbit interaction in the material.”

Electron paths reveal spin behaviour

The team’s graphene device uses ferromagnetic cobalt contacts to inject and detect spin-polarised electrons at the edge of an encapsulated graphene channel. When a small out-of-plane magnetic field is applied, electrons paths curve into so-called cyclotron orbits. If those orbits are the right size, they land directly on the detector contact producing distinct peaks in signal at specific magnetic fields. These TMF peaks provide a direct fingerprint of ballistic electron motion. Three such peaks were resolved in the study.

Crucially, the height and sign of these TMF peaks changed depending on the alignment of the magnetic contacts, showing that the focused signal carried spin information. This confirms that ballistic trajectories, rather than diffusive scattering processes, were responsible for transporting spin across the device.

Control at the flick of a gate voltage

By varying the voltage applied to the back gate, which tunes the density of electrons in graphene, the researchers could modulate the spin signal dramatically. In some conditions, they enhanced the signal relative to standard nonlocal spin-valve measurements. In others, they could reverse its polarity altogether.

This tunability arises from a coupling between the electrons’ orbital motion and their spin, which occurs because the ferromagnetic contacts induce local charge-transfer doping as well as  proximity-exchange effect at the graphene edge. So the graphene next to the contact behaves like a magnetic material, and the ballistic movement of electrons from this region into the rest of the non-magnetic graphene channel leads to the spin-dependent electron optics. The result is a transistor-like behaviour for spin, achieved without introducing spin–orbit coupling into the graphene channel.

A route toward practical spin-based devices

The team observed clear ballistic behaviour at low temperature (25 K), with quasi-ballistic transport still present at room temperature. Because the TMF peaks remained sensitive to spin at these higher temperatures, the researchers demonstrate that spin-coherent ballistic transport can survive under conditions suitable for real world devices.

This approach provides a new operational principle for spintronic components: devices that rely on controlling the spin of electrons rather than their charge. The mechanism echoes the idea behind the Datta–Das spin field-effect transistor but achieves spin modulation through electron optics effects rather than spin–orbit interactions.

Co-author Dr Ivan Vera Marun added, “We have shown that electron optics in graphene can do more than guide electrons, it can actively shape their paths in a spin-dependent manner. Being able to control spin in this way, using low-power and scalable materials, moves us closer to practical spin-based technologies and future quantum systems.”

Published in Science, the team demonstrated the first atomic‑resolution imaging of atomic behaviour at solid–liquid interfaces in a broad range of non‑aqueous (organic) solvents. Previous high‑resolution liquid imaging techniques were largely limited to water, but the new technique works with a wide range of liquids beyond water, dramatically expanding the range of chemical processes that can be studied at the atomic scale, including key enabling technologies for the green energy transition.

Transmission Electron Microscopy is one of the only techniques that can image individual atoms, using a highly focused electron beam to probe inside structures, but it requires a high vacuum – making it impossible to study liquid processes. The Manchester team overcame this long‑standing challenge by building “nano‑aquariums”: nanoscale liquid cells made by sealing tiny pockets of test liquids, each just 100 attolitres, a billion times smaller than a raindrop, between ultra‑thin graphene windows just a few atoms thick. The graphene is strong enough to protect the liquid from the vacuum, yet almost completely transparent, allowing the electron beam to pass through.

Using an advanced electron microscope at the electron Physical Science Imaging Centre (ePSIC) national facility, the team captured videos of gold atoms at the graphene–liquid interface to compare five industrial solvents. The resulting videos show individual atoms hopping between sites, pairing up into groups of two and three, and clustering into larger nanoparticles with the measured behaviour sensitive to the choice of liquid. An AI‑enabled automated analysis workflow allowed the researchers to individually “track” more than a million gold atoms across the five solvents, enabling extraction of truly statistically significant information – a far cry from most atomic‑resolution imaging papers, which typically draw conclusions by observing only tens or hundreds of atoms.

“Watching individual atoms move in liquids is incredibly exciting, like having a front‑row seat to chemistry in action,” said Sam Sullivan‑Allsop, postdoctoral researcher at Manchester and first author. “By tracking more than a million atoms, we can move beyond isolated snapshots and finally see how liquids shape atomic behaviour.”

Our images are clear enough to resolve both the gold atoms and the graphene lattice beneath them,” he added. “That lets us understand not just where the atoms move, but why: how they interact with the surface and why they tend to “pair up” into small clusters during their random motion.”

A key innovation was sealing the cells while fully submerged in liquid using a thin ceramic cantilever to manipulate the graphene crystals. Previous approaches suffered from significant evaporation during the sealing step, causing huge fluctuations in the concentrations of test liquids. The new technique enables precise control of what goes inside – essential for making fair comparisons between liquids.

Professor Roman Gorbachev, who developed the fabrication process, explained, “The trick is sealing the cells while they are submerged within the liquid itself. Doing it this way means you know exactly what sample you are looking at – and it works for nearly every solvent, not just water.”

Individual gold atoms are a promising catalyst for green chemistry but preventing them “clustering” into bigger particles has always been challenging. Using their new platform, the team investigated how both the choice of solvent (which controls dispersion in the liquid) and the drying kinetics (which lock in the final structure) together determine whether the final catalyst contains the individually separated gold atoms required for high performance. In particular, acetone – a common solvent – combined low polarity with a low boiling point and surface tension, helping gold atoms remain separated during both the liquid phase and drying, whereas higher‑boiling solvents (e.g., cyclohexanone) and water tended to yield larger particles. The structural findings were confirmed by catalyst testing by collaborators at the University of Cardiff’s Catalysis Institute.

However, the new technique has potential for significant impact in fields outside catalysis. Many crucial processes, from fuel cells and batteries to filtration and precious‑metal recovery from e‑waste, happen at solid–liquid interfaces. Until now, scientists mostly relied on ensemble measurements that can obscure atomic‑scale complexity; watching individual atoms in liquids changes that.

Professor Sarah Haigh, who led the research, commented, "It's remarkable how much we still don't understand about how atoms behave at solid‑liquid interfaces, given how fundamental these processes are to modern technology. Now we can watch what's actually happening, understand why, and use that insight to design better materials and processes."

The research involved collaboration between The University of Manchester, Cardiff University, Sheffield University, and the ePSIC national microscopy facility at Diamond, combining expertise in electron microscopy, 2D materials fabrication, catalysis, and computational modelling. With the platform now established, the team is already applying it to questions in clean energy technologies and recovery of metals from e‑waste.

This research was published in the journal Science.

Full title: Atomic-resolution imaging of gold species at organic liquid-solid interfaces.

DOI: doi.org/10.1126/science.adw2469

The team found that growing a widely used magnetic alloy, permalloy, on ultra‑thin MoS₂ alters the film’s internal crystal structure, changing how and where energy is lost as magnetic spins move. By separating energy losses that occur at the surface of the film from those arising within its internal structure, the researchers provide new design insights for devices that use two‑dimensional (2D) materials to control magnetism more efficiently.

Crucially, the work uses large‑area, manufacturing‑compatible MoS₂, showing that these effects are not confined to laboratory‑scale samples but are relevant for real, scalable spintronic technologies.

The study, published in Physical Review Applied, demonstrates that transition‑metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can alter the fundamental properties of magnetic films. The results highlight the importance of careful comparison with control materials when assessing the impact of 2D layers on magnetic behaviour.

Spintronics is an alternative to conventional electronics that uses not only the charge of electrons, but also their spin, to store and process information. This approach underpins emerging technologies for magnetic memory and has potential applications in energy‑efficient, high‑speed computing. A major challenge in spintronics, however, is energy loss: as magnetic spins move, some energy is inevitably dissipated as heat, limiting device speed and efficiency.

In this work, the researchers studied thin films of permalloy grown on top of large‑area MoS₂ produced using industry‑compatible chemical vapour deposition. They found that the ultra‑clean interface between permalloy and MoS₂ reduces energy loss at the surface of the magnetic film. At the same time, subtle changes within the film’s crystal structure slightly increase internal energy loss.

By clearly separating these two effects, the team was able to explain why previous studies of 2D materials and magnetism have sometimes produced conflicting results.

To reach these conclusions, the researchers used ferromagnetic resonance, a technique in which a high‑frequency magnetic field causes spins inside a magnetic material to wobble, similar to a spinning top slowing down due to friction. By measuring how quickly this wobble fades, the team could determine how and where energy is dissipated. Varying the thickness of the magnetic layer allowed them to distinguish losses occurring at the surface from those within the bulk of the film.

The results point to new routes for designing lower‑power, faster spintronic memory, where material interfaces are engineered to minimise unwanted energy loss without sacrificing performance.

“This work is exciting because the fundamental effects a two‑dimensional material can have on magnetic thin films are still largely unexplored,” said Dr Henry De Libero, lead author of the study and Research Associate in THz Spintronics at the University of Manchester. “We’ve shown how these changes affect energy loss, which is a crucial property for next‑generation memory technologies.”

The study shows that 2D materials do not always increase energy loss and that, with the right interface, they can reduce it.

This research was published in the journal Physical Review Applied.

Full title: Separation of bulk and surface contributions to the damping of permalloy on large-area chemical-vapor-deposited Mo⁢S₂.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wfsl-4mhb

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Professor Boya placed as a finalist due to her world-leading work in a sub-field of advanced materials called nanocapillaries. This field is focused on atomically thin channels (capillaries) in which water and gas behave in surprising ways, flowing faster and separating differently. Her discoveries offer new models for brain signalling and enable advances in brain-inspired computing and molecular filtration.

Now in their ninth year in the UK, the 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists received 91 nominations from 46 academic and research institutions across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. A distinguished jury of leading senior scientists and engineers from throughout the UK selects the Laureates and finalists.

Despite their young age, Blavatnik scholars are driving global economic growth by pursuing high-risk, high-reward research. To date, Blavatnik Awards honourees have founded over 50 companies after receiving the award, six of which are publicly traded and collectively valued at over $10 billion.

Internationally recognised by the scientific community, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists are instrumental in expanding engagement and recognition for young scientists and in providing the support and encouragement needed to drive scientific innovation for the next generation.

The Blavatnik Awards in the UK sit alongside their global counterparts, the Blavatnik National Awards and the Blavatnik Regional Awards in the United States, and the Blavatnik Awards in Israel, all of which honour and support exceptional early-career scientists. By the close of 2026, the Blavatnik Awards will have awarded prizes totalling over $20 million to over 500 scientists and engineers worldwide.

“The Awards were created to honour outstanding, early-career scientists, accelerate their research, and ensure that discoveries with the potential to dramatically improve society are recognized, supported, and implemented,” said Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

Members of the public interested in learning more about this year’s honourees' research may register to attend a free public symposium titled “Leading with Discovery: UK Scientists Shaping Global Science” at the Royal Society of Medicine on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, from 10:00 to 15:00 GMT. To attend this FREE public symposium, register here.

To find out more about the awards, Laureates and finalists, please visit the Blavatnik Awards website.

Researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute have now achieved the first atomic‑resolution imaging of monolayer transition metal diiodides, made possible by creating graphene‑sealed TEM samples that prevent these highly reactive materials from degrading on contact with air. The study, published in ACS Nano, demonstrates that fully encapsulating the crystals in graphene preserves atomically clean interfaces and extends their usable lifetime from seconds to months. This capability arises from refinements to an inorganic stamp transfer approach the team previously developed and reported in Nature Electronics, which provided the basis for producing stable, hermetically sealed samples.

“Working with these materials felt impossible at first as they are completely destroyed after a few seconds air exposure, preventing traditional fabrication approaches.” explained Dr Wendong Wang who has worked on developing the transfer technique and fabricated the samples in question. “Our approach protects samples r without any unnecessary transfer stages. Being able to make samples that can survive not just hours but months, and for international transfer between facilities, solves a major bottleneck in 2D materials research.“

“Once we were able to make stable samples, we were able to make several interesting observations about these materials, including identifying extensive local structural variations for the thinnest samples, atomic defect dynamics and edge structure evolution”, states Dr Gareth Tainton who conducted the TEM imaging and analysis as part of this work. “The structures of 2D materials are closely linked to their properties, and so being able to directly observe not only the structures of the different crystals, from monolayers up to bulk thicknesses, but also defect behaviour will hopefully inform further work on these materials to unlock their potential in technology”

“What excites me most is how this opens up previously inaccessible scientific territory. We've known theoretically that many reactive 2D materials have exceptional properties for electronics, optoelectronics, and quantum applications, but we couldn't get stable samples into the lab to test those predictions", commented Prof Roman Gorbachev of the National Graphene Institute, who led the investigation. 

This research was published in the journal ACS Nano.

Full title: Atomic Imaging of 2D Transition Metal Diiodides

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c19196

Professor Roman Gorbachev is available for interview on request.

The visit formed a key component of the WRC 2026 programme, an initiative established by SWA to strengthen partnerships with leading international universities and to accelerate innovation in water technologies. During the visit, His Excellency and the SWA delegation toured the NGI and GEIC facilities, engaging directly with researchers, engineers, and University of Manchester (UoM) spinouts and startups including Watercycle Technologies, Molymem, and Hollowgraf, all of which are developing advanced materials and water-related technologies.

His Excellency was formally welcomed to the University by Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President, who hosted a formal meeting to discuss strategic collaboration priorities and opportunities for deeper engagement between SWA and The University of Manchester.

In his opening address at WRC 2026, His Excellency Eng. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkarim stated: “We rely on science, innovation and technology as the catalyst for our future. Science alone will not be enough to serve the globe. We share a responsibility to connect scientific progress with applied knowledge, applied technology and strong systems that improve lives. Water is life, and water is economy.”

At NGI, discussions focused on fundamental and translational research in advanced materials for water applications. The SWA delegation expressed strong interest in developing structured training and capacity-building programmes, particularly joint PhD training and researcher development initiatives, to help nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers working at the intersection of advanced materials and water technologies.

At GEIC, discussions focused on applied research and the translation of validated ideas towards scalable solutions addressing real-world water and water-infrastructure challenges. The SWA team highlighted opportunities to collaborate on near-to-market technologies, pilot-scale demonstrations, and industry-facing innovation programmes capable of delivering tangible impact.

Prof Rahul R. Nair, Chair of WRC 2026 and Professor of Materials Physics at The University of Manchester, said:

“We were pleased to welcome His Excellency and the Saudi Water Authority delegation to Manchester. The visit reflects a strong alignment between our research capabilities and SWA’s strategic priorities, and we look forward to establishing impactful collaborations in advanced materials and water technologies.”

The delegation also expressed interest in partnering with the Rabigh Water Oasis facilities as a platform for testing, validation, and demonstration of innovative technologies emerging from NGI, GEIC, and UoM spinouts. Such a partnership would support the translation of UK-developed innovations into operational environments and help accelerate pathways to deployment at scale.

The visit further enabled SWA leadership to engage with Watercycle Technologies, Molymem, and Hollowgraf, showcasing innovation across membranes, sensing, advanced materials, and circular water technologies. This interaction reinforced a shared ambition to translate research excellence into deployable solutions for global water challenges. As part of the visit, SWA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hollowgraf to advance future collaboration in water technologies.

The Water Research Community Meeting 2026 brought together over 200 participants, including senior leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators from Saudi Arabia, the UK, and other countries, to align strategic priorities and explore new partnership pathways across sustainability, the circular economy, clean and renewable energy, and process innovation.

This high-level visit marks an important step towards strengthening long-term collaboration between SWA and The University of Manchester, combining the UK’s leadership in advanced materials and innovation infrastructure with Saudi Arabia’s capabilities, investment, and testbed facilities in water technologies.

Researchers at The University of Manchester, working with the UK’s National Physical Laboratory and 15 international partners, have developed a robust protocol using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results, published in 2D Materials, will underpin a new ISO technical specification for graphene.

“To incorporate graphene and other 2D materials into industrial applications, from light-weight vehicles to sports equipment, touch screens, sensors and electronics, you need to know you’re working with the right material. This study sets a global benchmark that industry can trust,” said Dr William Thornley, who worked on the research during his PhD.

“Electron diffraction has long been used to distinguish monolayer from few‑layer graphene, but it’s often applied without a full treatment of uncertainties. By collaborating across 15 leading labs. including the original pioneers, we’ve mapped the pitfalls and shown how to get reliable results” added Dr Evan Tillotson.

“We’ve designed this protocol so it works in real labs, not just in specialist centres. And for organisations without TEM capability, we can provide measurements commercially through our partnership with the Royce Institute,” said Professor Sarah Haigh, Professor of Materials.

The findings are used directly within the ISO/TS 21356-2 international standard, currently in press and expected to be published in 2026. “This work builds on the NPL Good Practice Guide 145 'Characterisation of the Structure of Graphene’ developed in partnership with the University of Manchester, and one of NPL's most downloaded guides.", notes Dr Andrew Pollard, Principal Scientist of the Surface Technology Group and Advanced Materials Strategy Lead at NPL.

This research was published in the journal 2D Materials.

Full title: A large interlaboratory electron diffraction study of monolayer graphene.

DOI: 10.1088/2053-1583/ae2ca1

Professor Sarah Haigh is available for interview on request.

Over the past two years, HydroGraph and the GEIC have worked side by side to translate cutting-edge research into real-world impact. Together, they have built an extensive library of case studies showing how HydroGraph’s pristine graphene improves performance in diverse applications. Their joint efforts have also generated a commercial pipeline of more than 75 projects commercialising graphene enhanced solutions across sectors such as medical devices, composites and coatings. These successes have been matched by advances in manufacturing: HydroGraph has scaled production from pilot quantities to about one ton per month and plans to scale output to full commercial scale as additional reactors and a new Texas facility come on stream.

The move to Tier 1 status opens a new chapter for the partnership. HydroGraph will establish a dedicated laboratory within the GEIC and gain broader access to the centre’s world-class facilities and technical expertise. This will allow more joint projects to move swiftly from laboratory validation to industrial trials, shorten time to market, and integrate Manchester’s capabilities with HydroGraph’s expanding production footprint. It will also support deeper collaboration with strategic partners such as the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), building on initial engagements in Manchester to explore new opportunities in North America.

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, welcomed the development. “We are thrilled that through our partnership with HydroGraph we are growing our activities in the United States alongside the ARL. From an initial engagement here in Manchester we are now seeing real opportunities and traction in the U.S. market. This demonstrates the power of the GEIC to leverage collaboration across our Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners. With this Tier 1 extension HydroGraph will be able to tap into our full range of capabilities – from composites and energy storage to printing and coatings – while enjoying a dedicated laboratory in the GEIC and access to the broader resources of the University of Manchester.”

Kjirstin Breure, Chief Executive Officer of HydroGraph, added: “Over the past two years as a Tier 2 member, our collaboration with the GEIC has turned promising ideas into real world applications and industrial trials. Elevating to Tier 1 is the natural next step. It provides deeper access to facilities and expertise, speeds up our innovation cycles, and supports closer collaboration with partners such as ARL. We are excited about what this upgrade will enable for HydroGraph, for Manchester and for our customers.”

By strengthening their partnership, HydroGraph and the GEIC are reaffirming Manchester’s position at the forefront of graphene innovation. Together they will continue to pioneer sustainable, high-performance graphene applications that deliver benefits across industry and society.

The GEIC operates a partnership model, offering a variety of engagement options tailored to the scope, scale, duration and complexity of development projects. Visit here for more information and to get in touch.

The GPIW is an international initiative that recognises pioneering contributions to water desalination and celebrates innovators driving progress towards sustainable global water solutions. Winning this award places Hollowgraf Ltd among the most influential emerging innovators in the global water sector. 

Hollowgraf originates from the graphene membrane research group led by Professor Rahul Raveendran Nair, internationally recognised for its work on graphene-based membranes for separation and filtration. Building on this foundation, the team has filed a patent for an innovative desalination and value-recovery process powered by atmospheric CO₂ or flue gas. To accelerate real-world deployment, the team established Hollowgraf Ltd to commercialise the technology. 

With water scarcity affecting billions worldwide, Hollowgraf’s technology offers a radical new approach: turning seawater into drinking water using carbon dioxide and advanced graphene membranes. This innovation could transform desalination into a near-zero-waste process.  

Hollowgraf stood out among 2,570 entries from 119 countries, securing $50,000 in prize money and $250,000 in prototype and piloting support, fuelling the next stage of development and scale-up. 

“This recognition is a huge step toward turning cutting-edge graphene research into real-world solutions for water scarcity. With this support, we can move from the lab to large-scale pilot projects in partnership with the Saudi Water Authority,” said Dr. Premlal Pillai, Research Fellow at the National Graphene Institute and CEO of Hollowgraf Ltd. 

Prof. Rahul Raveendran Nair, Professor and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair at The University of Manchester and CTO of Hollowgraf Ltd, said: 

“This award highlights our commitment to turning world-class research into solutions for global challenges. Hollowgraf’s breakthrough could redefine sustainable desalination, and we’re proud to see Manchester innovation recognised worldwide.” 

The patent-pending process, developed at The University of Manchester, uses graphene membranes and carbon dioxide to produce clean water and valuable by-products, all at ambient pressure thus making it more sustainable and cost-effective than traditional methods. 

This achievement reinforces The University of Manchester’s position as a global leader in graphene innovation and sustainability, making a tangible impact on one of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

This surprising finding also contradicts what scientists previously knew about strongly confined water. Earlier work showed that confined water loses its ability to respond to an electric field, becoming "electrically dead" when measured in the direction perpendicular to surfaces. The new study reveals the complete opposite in the parallel direction – water’s electrical response rises dramatically, by an order of magnitude.

The study, published in Nature by a team led by Dr Laura Fumagalli in collaboration with Prof Andre Geim, used an advanced technique called scanning dielectric microscopy to peer into water's electrical secrets at the true nanoscale. They trapped water in channels so narrow they held only a handful of molecular layers.

The results are striking: bulk water has a dielectric constant around 80, but when thinned to just 1-2 nanometres, its in-plane dielectric constant reaches values close to 1,000 – on par with ferroelectrics used in advanced electronics. At the same time, water's conductivity increases to values approaching those of superionic liquids, materials considered highly promising for next-generation batteries.

"Think of it as if water has a split personality," explains Dr Fumagalli. "In one direction it is electrically dead, but look at it in profile and suddenly it becomes electrically super-active. Nobody expected such dramatic behaviour."

The discovery required the team to develop ultrasensitive measurement techniques capable of probing water layers much thinner than the skin of a virus and track their electrical response across frequencies from kilohertz to gigahertz – spanning six orders of magnitude.

The research also reveals that confined water exists in two distinct electrical regimes. For channels larger than several nanometres, water behaves like its bulk form, albeit with much higher conductivity. But once squeezed to atomic dimensions, it undergoes a sharp transition into a new "superionic-like" state.

This transformation occurs because extreme confinement disrupts water's hydrogen-bond network, which in bulk is a dynamic but rather ordered structure. At the molecular scale this network becomes disordered, allowing dipoles to align more easily with electric fields and enabling rapid proton transport.

"Just as graphene revealed unexpected physics when graphite was thinned down to a single atomic layer, this research shows that even water – the most studied liquid on Earth – can still surprise us when squeezed to its absolute thinnest”, notes Prof Geim, who previously won the Nobel Prize for graphene research.

The implications extend far beyond fundamental science. Insights into water’s electrical properties at the nanoscale are crucial not only for physics and chemistry but also for technologies ranging from advanced batteries and microfluidics to nanoscale electronics and biology.

“Our study changes how we should think about water," adds Dr Fumagalli. "The most ordinary substance on Earth has extraordinary talents that were hidden until now."

This research was published in the journal Nature.

Full title: In-plane dielectric constant and conductivity of confined water.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09558-y

Drs Laura Fumagalli and Andre Geim are available for interview on request.

Images and more information about water research can be found at www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The breakthrough, reported in Nature by a team led by Professor Andre Geim, was achieved by placing a sheet of graphene just three atoms below cleaner bulk graphite. This “proximity mirror” cancels out unwanted electric fields, reducing disorder in graphene by a factor of 100.

"Think of it like creating the ultimate clean room, but for electrons," explains first author Dr Daniil Domaretskiy. "We’ve removed almost all the ‘dirt’ that disrupts smooth flow of electric current. You can suddenly see effects that were hidden, like wiping clean a fogged-up window."

In quantum materials, disorder hides delicate effects and can prevent new physics from emerging. Researchers normally go to great lengths to remove impurities and minimise interference, but in graphene the team has now pushed this to an extreme: just one uncontrolled electron per 100 million carbon atoms remains across an entire device.

This record-low disorder means that electrons travel faster and further than ever before. Key benchmarks of material quality, such as Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations, are now visible at fields below 10 Gauss. The celebrated quantum Hall effect appears below 50 Gauss, far weaker than a fridge magnet.

The concept is straightforward: the nearby graphite acts like an electrical mirror, cancelling random electric fields in the graphene layer. The challenge was engineering the mirror close enough, three atoms apart, without damaging the graphene.

“Now that we know how to make things this clean, it opens the door to exploring phenomena that were out of reach,” said co-author Dr Zefei Wu. “This is just the beginning.” 

The team expects their ‘proximity-mirror’ technique to become standard for probing quantum phenomena in two-dimensional materials, enabling new discoveries in superconductivity, magnetism and exotic quantum phases, which would all benefit from the ultraclean electronic conditions to clearly emerge.

The work involved collaborators from Lancaster University, the National University of Singapore, and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.

This research was published in the journal Nature.

Full title: Proximity screening greatly enhances electronic quality of graphene

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09386-0

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have developed a new class of programmable nanofluidic memristors that mimic the memory functions of the human brain, paving the way for next-generation neuromorphic computing.

In a ground-breaking study published in Nature Communications, scientists from the National Graphene Institute, Photon Science Institute and the Department of Physics and Astronomy have demonstrated how two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels can be tuned to exhibit all four theoretically predicted types of memristive behaviour, something never before achieved in a single device. This study not only reveals new insights into ionic memory mechanisms but also has the potential to enable emerging applications in low-power ionic logic, neuromorphic components, and adaptive chemical sensing.

Memristors, or memory resistors, are components that adjust their resistance based on past electrical activity, effectively storing a memory of it. While most existing memristors are solid-state devices that rely on electron movement, the team, led by Prof Radha Boya, used confined liquid electrolytes within thin nanochannels made from 2D materials like MoS₂ and hBN. This nanofluidic approach allows for ultra-low energy operation and the ability to emulate biological learning processes.

Four memory modes, one device

The study reveals that by tuning experimental parameters such as electrolyte composition, pH, voltage frequency, and channel geometry, the same nanofluidic device can switch between four distinct memory loop styles, two “crossing” and two “non-crossing” types. These loop styles correspond to different memory mechanisms, including ion-ion interaction, ion-surface charge adsorption/desorption, surface charge inversion, and ion concentration polarisation.

“This is the first time all four memristor types have been observed in a single device,” said Professor Radha Boya, senior author of the study. “It shows the remarkable tunability of nanofluidic systems and their potential to replicate complex brain-like behaviour.”

Mimicking the brain’s synapses

Beyond demonstrating multiple memory modes, the devices also exhibit both short-term and long-term memory, akin to biological synapses. This dynamic control over memory duration is crucial for developing neuromorphic systems that can adapt and learn from their environment.

For instance, the devices could “forget” information over time or retain it for days, depending on the applied voltage and electrolyte conditions, e.g., like how one might quickly forget where they left their keys, yet remember their home address for life.

Imagine you're working in a café. At first, the clatter of cups and chatter is noticeable, but soon your brain filters it out so you can focus. This everyday phenomenon is called sensory adaptation, and short-term synaptic depression is one of the cellular mechanisms contributing to them. The team mimicked short-term synaptic depression, a process where consecutive neural signals reduce the strength of a response unless sufficient time is allowed for recovery. In neurons, this is caused by temporary depletion of neurotransmitter vesicles. In the nanochannels, a similar effect emerges due to the ionic interactions, which requires time to relax back to its initial state.

A minimal model and a major leap

To explain the observed behaviours, the team developed a minimal theoretical model that incorporates ion–ion interactions, surface adsorption, and channel entrance effects. The model successfully reproduces all four memristive loop types, offering a unified framework for understanding and designing future nanofluidic memory systems.

“This work represents a major leap in our understanding of ionic memory,” said Dr Abdulghani Ismail, lead author of the study. “It opens up exciting possibilities for low-power, adaptive computing systems that operate more like the human brain.”

Towards brain-inspired computing

By harnessing the unique properties of 2D materials and fluidic ion transport, the researchers envision a new class of reconfigurable, energy-efficient computing devices capable of real-time learning and decision-making, with broad implications for artificial intelligence, robotics, and bioelectronics.

This research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Full title: Programmable memristors with two-dimensional nanofluidic channels

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61649-6

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The team introduced a new type of thermal switch utilising high thermal conductivity graphite films. When a voltage is applied, ions insert between graphite layers. These ions disrupt phonon motion, cutting thermal conductivity by up to 1,300%. Removing the voltage expels the ions and restores the original heat-carrying capacity. This powerful modulation allows the device to actively turn heat conduction "on" and "off" at will, mirroring the functionality of electronic transistors, but for heat instead of electricity.

 “What makes our device truly transformative is its ability to operate reliably in extreme environments such as space,” said Dr Pietro Steiner, lead author and current technology lead for graphene-based thermal technologies at SmartIR Ltd., a spinout from the University of Manchester. "The solid-state nature and absence of mechanical parts make it particularly attractive for aerospace applications, where reliability, weight, and efficiency are critical."

Beyond basic switching, the team demonstrated that their device could actively steer heat flow in desired directions. By configuring voltages across patterned electrodes, they created anisotropic thermal conduction pathways, opening possibilities for programmable thermal management systems.

Lead author Professor Coskun Kocabas added, "This thermal switching technology could revolutionise spacecraft thermal regulation, offering dynamic and reconfigurable solutions to manage excess heat without complex moving mechanisms or bulky radiators."

Spacecraft often rely on radiators or mechanical valves to dump excess heat. These systems add weight and risk mechanical failure under vibration. A thin, solid-state switch removes those constraints. It can operate in ultra-high vacuum and tolerate radiation levels found in orbit.

Next, the group will test switching speed under high thermal load. They plan to integrate the switch with prototype electronics. Faster ion motion and alternative intercalants could boost performance further. By directly linking electrical signals to heat transport, this work lays the groundwork for programmable thermal management in aerospace, electronics cooling and adaptive insulation.

This research was published in the journal Science Advances.

Full title: Electrically controlled heat transport in graphite films via reversible ionic liquid intercalation

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw8588

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Silver has long been used to combat bacteria, particularly in wound care, due to its ability to release ions that disrupt bacterial cells. However, current approaches have limitations; silver can be released too rapidly or unevenly, potentially harming surrounding healthy tissue and resulting in short-lived or inconsistent antibacterial protection.

The Manchester team tackled these issues by designing a graphene oxide-based membrane that can release silver ions slowly and precisely over time. The key lies in the structure of the membrane itself, its nanoscale channels act like filters, regulating how much silver is released.

"Our research represents a paradigm shift in antimicrobial coating technology," states lead author Prof Rahul R Nair. "By harnessing the potential of graphene oxide membranes, we've unlocked a method for controlled silver ion release, paving the way for sustained antimicrobial efficacy in various applications.”

The team also created a testing model that better reflects real biological conditions. By using foetal bovine serum in lab trials, they could simulate the environment the coating would encounter in the body, offering a clearer view of how it performs over time.

“This approach allows us to deliver just the right amount of silver for extended protection,” first author Dr Swathi Suran adds. “It has potential in many areas, including wound care dressings and antimicrobial coatings for implants, and could bring long-term benefits for both patients and healthcare providers.”

As the team looks ahead, they're focused on exploring how this coating could be integrated into a range of everyday and medical products, making bacterial resistance less of a hidden threat and more of a manageable challenge.

This research was published in the journal Small.

Full title: Tunable Release of Ions from Graphene Oxide Laminates for Sustained Antibacterial Activity in a Biomimetic Environment

DOI: 10.1002/smll.202570220

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The team uncovered a rare type of wave, known as a shear phonon polariton, in a two-dimensional form of the material. Phonon polaritons are light-matter hybrid waves that emerge when light interacts with atomic vibrations in certain crystals. They can travel through materials in unusual ways and concentrate light into extremely small volumes.

In this study, the researchers found that in  thin films of gypsum, these waves undergo a topological transition, shifting from hyperbolic to elliptical behaviour, passing through a unique canalized state.

This transition allows scientists to tune how light propagates through the material.

“The studies of shear phonon polaritons in previous studies were limited to bulk crystals in the hyperbolic regime. In our study we aimed to complement those initial findings with shear polaritons in a 2-dimentional material,” said Dr Pablo Díaz Núñez, who co-led the study. “And remarkably, we discovered that shear phonon polaritons in gypsum support a topological transition from hyperbolic to elliptical propagation, with canalization in between.”

Dr Díaz Núñez added, “Moreover, we were able to confine light to a space twenty-five times smaller than its wavelength and slow it down to just a fraction of its speed in vacuum, this opens up new possibilities for manipulating light at the nanoscale.”

The research also highlights the role of crystal symmetry. Gypsum belongs to a class of materials with low symmetry, specifically to the monoclinic crystal system, which gives rise to asymmetric light propagation and energy loss, the central characteristic of shear polaritons.

These findings extend beyond fundamental research of phonon polariton propagation and could support future developments in areas that rely on precise control of light, such as thermal management, sensing, and imaging beyond the limits of conventional optics. Moreover, the study introduces gypsum as a new platform for exploring advanced photonic concepts in emerging areas like non-Hermitian photonics.

This research was published in the journal Science Advances.

Full title: Visualization of topological shear polaritons in gypsum thin films

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw3452

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Developed with the support of engineers at The University of Manchester since 2019, Concretene is a graphene-enhanced admixture for concrete that improves compressive strength and durability, enabling removal of cement and a reduced carbon footprint.

The company has extended its production and materials testing facility in the adjacent Pariser Building – part of the new Sister Innovation District – taking advantage of the advanced materials ecosystem delivered by the GEIC.

Concretene is one of several technologies being developed and applied at the GEIC to explore the potential of graphene in construction. It aims to create a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for the industry by increasing the service life of concrete and reducing cement requirements.

This is an ideal case study for ‘the Manchester model’ of innovation, whereby an idea for the exploitation of nanomaterials is grown through The University of Manchester to become a spin-out company, creating high-value jobs and encouraging inward investment in the city.

Concretene has attracted £1.9m of UK government funding and £6m of venture capital investment since its incorporation in late 2022 and has grown to a staff of 20.

Three Innovate UK-funded projects have delivered significant advances in the application of graphene-enhanced concrete:

• GraphEnhance – scale-up of graphene and graphene oxide supply chain (with Black Swan Graphene and William Blythe).
• SMART – pre-cast foundation pilings (with Roger Bullivant)
• GCRE – low-carbon railway sleepers (with Cemex Rail)

Prototype trials have demonstrated compressive strength increases up to 50% in ready-mix applications and 15-20% in pre-cast, all showing compatibility with existing low-carbon concrete mixes incorporating cement replacements (CEM II limestone, CEM III GGBS).

Tests by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) on Concretene’s low-carbon railway sleeper for Cemex have indicated improvements in durability, notably to mitigate shrinkage – a common problem for low-carbon concretes that can lead to cracking and shorter service life.

Collaboration is ongoing with ARUP – the global design and engineering consultancy, which is one of Concretene’s equity partners – and a range of material suppliers to hone specifications for different concrete mixes and applications, with a programme of further scaled trials upcoming to produce the robust dataset required for product certification and launch.

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to support Concretene’s journey as a standout example of how graphene innovation at the GEIC can scale into real-world industrial impact. Their progress reflects the strength of our collaborative model, which brings together engineers, researchers and industry to tackle global challenges like decarbonising construction. Concretene represents the kind of transformative work we’re driving forward, and we continue to collaborate with a broad range of partners to accelerate the adoption of graphene-enhanced technologies that deliver both environmental and economic benefits.”

Mike Harrison, CEO of Concretene, said:
“We’re really pleased to extend our deal with the GEIC for another three years. Having a dedicated formulation development facility, technical support and high-end microscopy and characterisation kit on site has been invaluable in the development of the product. The proximity of growth and maker space within the Sister Innovation District has allowed us to remain in Manchester and we are grateful of the support from this community.

“We look forward to building on our success to date with the GEIC, commissioning our pilot plant in the Pariser Building and supporting asset owners in their journey to decarbonise concrete in construction.”

Advanced materials is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships tackling some of the planet's biggest questions. #ResearchBeacons

John Whittaker, Engineering Director at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), is delighted to announce his appointment to the international advisory board of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in 2D Materials of Tomorrow (2DMoT CDT). The new CDT builds on the legacy of The University of Manchester’s pioneering Graphene NOWNANO CDT and is designed to shape the next generation of leaders in the fast-evolving field of 2D materials.

Reflecting on his new role John said, “It’s a real privilege to be part of this initiative. The 2DMoT CDT doesn’t just focus on academic excellence - it brings research to life by connecting it with industry, impact, and innovation. I’m excited to work alongside these emerging researchers and help create a space where science and real-world application go hand in hand.”

Funded by the EPSRC, the 2DMoT CDT will welcome its first student cohort in September 2025. The programme is a collaboration between The University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge, with initial training and the majority of research projects based in Manchester. The CDT offers an intensive four-year PhD that focuses on the science and application of the rapidly growing family of two-dimensional (2D) materials. It provides a unique training environment that blends academic excellence with industry collaboration and innovation opportunities.

The CDT aligns closely with the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE)’s vision and the University’s ambition to define the role of a great civic university in the 21st century. Advanced materials is one of FSE’s core research beacons, and the CDT builds on this by promoting employability, interdisciplinary training, and values-driven partnerships. Rooted in innovation and a strong sense of purpose, the programme reflects our commitment to global impact, local engagement, and an inclusive student experience.

This vision is brought to life through the work of the GEIC, where John serves as Engineering Director. As one of the UK’s leading centres for the commercialisation of 2D materials, the GEIC transforms early-stage research into real-world applications, helping businesses navigate the crucial ‘middle ground’ of technology readiness (TRLs 4–7). With its state-of-the-art infrastructure, industrial partnerships, and translational focus, the GEIC plays a central role in the advanced materials ecosystem. John’s involvement in the CDT advisory board strengthens the pipeline between research and industry - ensuring doctoral students gain not only technical excellence, but the commercial awareness needed to drive innovation from lab to market.

The CDT’s impact also extends into Manchester’s wider innovation landscape through Unit M - a bold, University-led initiative to accelerate discovery, innovation, and inclusive economic growth. Unit M connects research, industry, investors, and civic partners to unlock the full potential of the region’s innovation ecosystem. By developing skilled researchers and fostering academic–industry collaboration, the CDT plays a valuable role in supporting Unit M’s mission to drive prosperity across Greater Manchester and beyond.

This collaborative spirit is further exemplified by the new Manchester–Cambridge partnership, with the CDT as one of its early flagship initiatives. By linking two of the UK’s most dynamic innovation economies, the partnership brings together Manchester’s strengths in industry-facing innovation with Cambridge’s academic excellence and world-class startup culture. Together, they represent a new model for university collaboration – one rooted in purpose, people, and place – that challenges traditional boundaries and redefines what’s possible when research, talent, and enterprise move hand in hand.

As John steps into this advisory role, his appointment is a reflection not only of his leadership at GEIC but of the broader vision to ensure that materials science remains one of the UK’s greatest engines of innovation.

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is one of the essential solutions to the increasing global challenge of water scarcity. Yet, widespread deployment of desalination technologies remains limited due to high upfront costs and intensive energy requirements. Moreover, current desalination systems use fossil fuels contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

To address these challenges, the EU-funded project AQUASOL brings together a multidisciplinary team of seven partners from six countries to explore and develop innovative solutions to facilitate green transition in desalination processes. To achieve this, the consortium will develop a technological platform that will enable the integration of renewable energy sources into desalination technologies and provide disruptive solutions for seawater and wastewater treatment.

Professor Rahul Nair, a researcher at Manchester, will develop graphene-based membranes designed to treat seawater and brackish water more efficiently. The goal is to increase membrane durability and reduce energy demands, offering practical improvements over current desalination systems.

The partners, comprising of research institutions, universities and small and medium businesses, met in Barcelona to officially launch the project, which started earlier this month.

AQUASOL, which stands for Advanced Quality Renewable Energy-Powered Solutions For Water Desalination In Agriculture And Wastewater Recycling, has a total budget of over €3.6M and will run for 3 years. The University of Manchester joins six other partners: Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (Spain), Strane Innovation (France), Ferr-Tech B.V. (Netherlands), farmB (Greece), and Aarhus University (Denmark).

Acknowledgements

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

We’re home to 700 materials experts, revolutionising industries by developing advanced materials that unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and sustainability. Supported by the £885m campus investment over the last 10 years, our researchers are at the forefront of materials innovation, creating game-changing solutions. From healthcare to manufacturing, we’re tackling global challenges and ensuring the UK's reputation as a technology ‘super power'. Find out more about our advanced materials research.

The team designed a two-dimensional (2D) manganese-oxide/graphene superlattice that triggers a unique lattice-wide strain mechanism. This approach significantly boosts the structural stability of the battery’s cathode material, enabling it to operate reliably over 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. That’s around 50% longer than current zinc-ion batteries.

The research, published in Nature Communications, offers a practical route to scalable, water-based energy storage technologies.

Atomic-level control over battery durability

The breakthrough centres on a phenomenon called the Cooperative Jahn-Teller Effect (CJTE). A coordinated lattice distortion caused by a specific 1:1 ratio of manganese ions (Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺). When built into a layered 2D structure on graphene, this ratio produces long-range, uniform strain across the material.

That strain helps the cathode resist breakdown during repeated cycling.

The result is a low-cost, aqueous zinc-ion battery that performs with greater durability, and without the safety risks linked to lithium-ion cells.

“This work demonstrates how 2D material heterostructures can be engineered for scalable applications,” said Prof Guoxiu Wang, lead and corresponding author from University of Technology Sydney and a Royal Society Wolfson visiting Fellow at The University of Manchester. “Our approach shows that superlattice design is not just a lab-scale novelty, but a viable route to improving real-world devices such as rechargeable batteries. It highlights how 2D material innovation can be translated into practical technologies.”

Towards better grid-scale storage

Zinc-ion batteries are widely viewed as a promising candidate for stationary storage, storing renewable energy for homes, businesses or the power grid. But until now, their limited lifespan has restricted real-world use.

This study shows how chemical control at the atomic level can overcome that barrier.

Co-corresponding author Prof Rahul Nair from The University of Manchester said, “Our research opens a new frontier in strain engineering for 2D materials. By inducing the cooperative Jahn-Teller effect, we’ve shown that it’s possible to fine-tune the magnetic, mechanical, and optical properties of materials in ways that were previously not feasible.”

The team also demonstrated that their synthesis process works at scale using water-based methods, without toxic solvents or extreme temperatures - a step forward in making zinc-ion batteries more practical for manufacturing.

This research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Full title: Cooperative Jahn-Teller effect and engineered long-range strain in manganese oxide/graphene superlattice for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60558-y

We’re home to 700 materials experts, revolutionising industries by developing advanced materials that unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and sustainability. Supported by the £885m campus investment over the last 10 years, our researchers are at the forefront of materials innovation, creating game-changing solutions. From healthcare to manufacturing, we’re tackling global challenges and ensuring the UK's reputation as a technology ‘super power'. Find out more about our advanced materials research.

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a ground-breaking method to precisely measure the strength of hydrogen bonds in confined water systems, an advance that could transform our understanding of water’s role in biology, materials science, and technology. The work, published in Nature Communications, introduces a fundamentally new way to think about one of nature’s most important but difficult-to-quantify interactions.

Hydrogen bonds are the invisible forces that hold water molecules together, giving water its unique properties, from high boiling point to surface tension, and enabling critical biological functions such as protein folding and DNA structure. Yet despite their significance, quantifying hydrogen bonds in complex or confined environments has long been a challenge.

“For decades, scientists have struggled to measure hydrogen bond strength with precision,” said Professor Artem Mishchenko, who led the study with Dr Qian Yang and Dr Ziwei Wang. “Our approach reframes hydrogen bonds as electrostatic interactions between dipoles and an electric field, which allows us to calculate their strength directly from spectroscopic data.”

The team used gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O), a naturally occurring mineral that contains two-dimensional layers of crystalline water, as their model system. By applying external electric fields to water molecules trapped between the mineral’s layers, and tracking their vibrational response using high-resolution spectroscopy, the researchers were able to quantify hydrogen bonding with unprecedented accuracy.

“What’s most exciting is the predictive power of this technique,” said Dr Yang. “With a simple spectroscopic measurement, we can predict how water behaves in confined environments that were previously difficult to probe, something that normally requires complex simulations or remains entirely inaccessible.”

The implications are broad and compelling. In water purification, this method could help engineers fine-tune membrane materials to optimise hydrogen bonding, improving water flow and selectivity while reducing energy costs. In drug development, it offers a way to predict how water binds to molecules and their targets, potentially accelerating the design of more soluble and effective drugs. It could enhance climate models by enabling more accurate simulations of water’s phase transitions in clouds and the atmosphere. In energy storage, the discovery lays the foundation for “hydrogen bond heterostructures”, engineered materials with tailored hydrogen bonding that could dramatically boost battery performance. And in biomedicine, the findings could help create implantable sensors with better compatibility and longer lifespans by precisely controlling water-surface interactions.

“Our work provides a framework to understand and manipulate hydrogen bonding in ways that weren’t possible before,” said Dr Wang, first author of the paper. “It opens the door to designing new materials and technologies, from better catalysts to smarter membranes, based on the hidden physics of water.”

This research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Full title: Quantifying hydrogen bonding using electrically tunable nanoconfined water

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58608-6 [doi.org]

The research was supported by the European Research Council and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Professor Cinzia Casiraghi has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), bringing with her more than two decades of pioneering research experience in graphene and 2D materials.

Since the early 2000s, Professor Casiraghi has been at the forefront of the graphene journey. From identifying the optical fingerprint of graphene to engineering ink-jet printable 2D materials for use in electronics and biomedical applications, her work has paved the way for the development of functional, scalable applications that are now becoming reality across industries.

Casiraghi’s appointment marks a new chapter for the GEIC, which sits at the heart of the Graphene@Manchester ecosystem. As CSO, she will provide strategic scientific leadership to strengthen the Centre’s role as a world-leading facility for the translation of 2D materials research into commercial products and technologies. 

She will play a key role in connecting academic expertise with industrial needs, supporting collaborative research at higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), and steering the scientific direction of GEIC projects.   

Her research group at The University of Manchester has led groundbreaking work in Raman spectroscopy of carbon-based nanomaterials, and 2D material ink formulation, with an emphasis on industry-funded projects. Her contributions to printable electronics, ranging from photodetectors, transistors and memories printed onto low-cost and biodegradable substrates, such as paper, have significantly advanced the field. Casiraghi is also a prominent advocate for cross-disciplinary research, building bridges between chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering.

Professor Casiraghi said:

“It is an exciting time for 2D materials. I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Scientific Officer at the GEIC. For the past 20 years, I have been dedicated to graphene and 2D materials research, witnessing remarkable progress along this journey. Two decades ago, I was looking at tiny graphene flakes, produced by mechanical exfoliation, with the aim to identify their optical fingerprint.

“Today, academics and companies regularly use this framework to identify graphene. Today, we have graphene and 2D material inks that can be printed onto paper and plastic to create functional devices, or can be combined with other materials to enhance specific properties. Today, we have well-established methods for large-area deposition of graphene and 2D materials, paving the way for their integration into next-generation electronics.

“I look forward to driving innovation, advancing our research capabilities, and working alongside the team at the GEIC and the academic community to develop cutting-edge solutions. By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, we aim to demonstrate the value of 2D materials and their transformative potential.”

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, said:
“Cinzia has been a driving force in the field of graphene and 2D materials research for over two decades, and her appointment as Chief Scientific Officer marks a significant development opportunity for the GEIC. Her depth of expertise, combined with a passion for innovation and collaboration, will ensure we continue to bridge the gap between fundamental science and real-world application.

“As the GEIC evolves to meet the challenges of a fast-moving innovation landscape, Cinzia’s leadership will help accelerate our mission to deliver sustainable, scalable technologies that make a meaningful impact across industry sectors.”

As CSO, Professor Casiraghi will work across the GEIC’s ecosystem — including academic departments, the National Graphene Institute (NGI), and the wider university research community — to ensure alignment of scientific vision with industrial ambition. She will lead a team of Theme Leads, drawn from disciplines including materials science and physics, to guide project direction, advise on research outcomes, and lower the barrier between industry and academia.

The role also includes high-level engagement with strategic partners and national innovation stakeholders, helping to position the GEIC as a key player in addressing global challenges around clean growth, mobility, and sustainable development. Casiraghi will support the evaluation of major project proposals, mentor scientific staff, and champion excellence in research infrastructure, collaboration, and impact.

Professor Casiraghi has held academic roles at The University of Manchester since 2010 and currently serves as Chair of Nanoscience and Head of Materials Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry. She previously held research fellowships in Berlin and Cambridge and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge.

With this appointment, The University of Manchester continues to reinforce its commitment to translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact, supporting the advancement of graphene and 2D materials through collaborative innovation and industrial engagement.

The breakthrough centres around an active spatial light modulator, a surface with more than 300,000 sub-wavelength pixels capable of manipulating THz light in both transmission and reflection. Unlike previous modulators, which were limited to small-scale demonstrations, the Manchester team integrated graphene-based THz modulators with large-area thin-film transistor (TFT) arrays, enabling high-speed, programmable control over the amplitude and phase of THz light across expansive areas.

Professor Coskun Kocabas, Professor of 2D Device Materials at The University of Manchester, commented, “We have developed a new method to dynamically control THz waves at an unprecedented scale and speed. By integrating graphene optoelectronics with advanced TFT display technologies, we can now reconfigure complex THz wavefronts in real time.”

The research demonstrates various capabilities, including programmable THz transmission patterns, beam steering, greyscale holography, and a proof-of-concept single-pixel THz camera. These functionalities are made possible through fine-tuned electrostatic gating of graphene, a material known for its unique electrical and optical properties at THz frequencies.

Co-author Dr M. Said Ergoktas, now a lecturer at the University of Bath, added, “Our devices operate by adjusting local charge densities on a continuous graphene sheet, allowing for pixel-level control without the need for graphene patterning. This architecture allows for scalable fabrication using commercial display backplanes.”

The team’s device architecture also supports dynamic beam steering and the generation of structured THz beams carrying orbital angular momentum, key features for advanced THz communication systems. One striking demonstration showed how a binary “fork” diffraction pattern generated donut-shaped beams with tunable vortex order, useful in multiplexed data transmission and beam shaping.

Beyond communications, the researchers showcased a single-pixel THz camera capable of imaging concealed metallic objects, representing a significant advance for non-invasive inspection in security, industrial monitoring, and medical diagnostics. This approach uses compressive sensing algorithms to reconstruct images from modulated THz patterns, highlighting the flexibility of their programmable platform.

“Until now, THz modulators have struggled with scale and speed,” Kocabas noted. “By leveraging display technology, we demonstrate that it's possible to bring this field from lab-scale demonstrations to real-world applications.”

Future directions

The authors indicate that the next steps involve enhancing modulation speeds and extending these systems to operate in reflection mode for full spectroscopic imaging. Future work may also focus on integrating this platform with advanced beamforming systems and next-generation 6G wireless technologies.

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Congratulations to CDT student Patrick Sarsfield, winner of the £20,000 second prize with co-founder of Graphene Thermal Daniel Mills. Patrick is currently doing his PhD in the Theory of Electronic Properties of Graphene.

Manchester’s reputation as a global leader in graphene innovation was reinforced as The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) announced the winners of the 2025 Eli & Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award. The prestigious competition, which supports students, postgraduates, and recent alumni in turning cutting-edge research into viable businesses, awarded £50,000 and £20,000 to two outstanding ventures set to disrupt industries with their graphene and 2D material-based technologies.

The grand final, held on March 11 2025, saw finalists pitch their groundbreaking ideas to an expert panel at Alliance Manchester Business School. The event culminated in a hybrid awards ceremony at the Enterprise Zone, with a global audience tuning in via livestream. Keynotes from Aurore Hochard, Director of MEC, and Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, highlighted the University’s commitment to turning research into real-world solutions. A fireside chat with last year’s winners, Solar Ethos, provided valuable insights for the next generation of graphene entrepreneurs.

The panel featured distinguished leaders in entrepreneurship and graphene innovation at The University of Manchester. The group included Aurore Hochard, James Baker (CEO of Graphene@Manchester), Professor Luke Georghiou, Dr. Ania Jolly (Henry Royce Institute), Professor Aravind Vijayaraghavan (founder of Grafine Ltd.), and Dr. Vivek Koncherry (CEO of Graphene Innovations Manchester). Their expertise ensured a rigorous selection process, identifying businesses with the strongest potential for commercial success.

The four finalists for this year showcased diverse and innovative applications of graphene and 2D materials. 

• Patrick Johansen Sarsfield from the School of Natural Sciences is developing Graphene Thermal - a company creating efficient graphene heated floor panels that reach target temperatures rapidly while using 50% less power than competitors.
• Jorge Servert from the School of Biological Sciences leads Sensium, which is revolutionising molecular diagnostics. Their technology achieves 90-95% accuracy in detecting various conditions, including infections and STIs, in under 5 minutes at just $1 per test.
• Mohammadhossein Saberian from the School of Natural Sciences heads Metamorph Materials, which transforms biomass into carbon-negative graphite for lithium-ion batteries, offering a sustainable alternative that enhances battery performance for EVs and electronics.
• Rui Zhang from the School of Natural Sciences presents Graphene Vision, developing next-generation in-situ cells that enhance materials characterisation systems. Their cost-effective solution enables real-time atomic-level imaging, accelerating research in various fields including catalysis and biomaterials.

The £50,000 first prize was awarded to Jorge A. Servert of Sensium (School of Biological Sciences), who combines expertise from diagnostics with his PhD in Biophysics. Jorge was also part of MEC’s Researcher to Innovator (R2I) programme where he received support in delivering impact with his research. 

The £20,000 second prize went to Patrick Johansen Sarsfield of Graphene Thermal with co-founder Daniel Mills, aircraft engineer at General Aero Services. Patrick is currently doing his PhD in the Theory of Electronic Properties of Graphene. We also extend recognition to finalists Mohammadhossein Saberian (School of Natural Sciences) of Metamorph Materials, and Rui Zhang (School of Natural Sciences) of Graphene Vision. Rui was part of MEC’s Researcher to Innovator (R2I) programme where he received support in delivering impact with his research.

We congratulate all participants on their outstanding achievements. Their innovations hold tremendous potential for commercial impact, from sustainable materials to next-generation electronics. By supporting these enterprising individuals, The University of Manchester is not only fostering personal success but also driving forward solutions to global challenges.

“To everyone, the journey continues and it's all about resilience” - Aurore Hochard, Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre.

The NGI opened in 2015 and became the home of research into the world’s thinnest, strongest, and most conductive material. Since then, the institute has established itself as a global leader in the research and development of graphene and other advanced 2D materials.  

Through the translation of graphene science into tangible, real world applications, the NGI has provided the opportunity for researchers and industry to work together on a variety of potential applications. The institute has been at the forefront of numerous pioneering projects that have reshaped industries and set new benchmarks for innovation. 

The NGI’s community of leading academics has played a pivotal role in advancing 2D material research, producing some of the most influential and highly cited studies in the field. Their pioneering work has accelerated the transition of graphene from the laboratory to real-world applications, driving innovation at an unprecedented pace. This collective expertise has cemented Manchester’s position as the global home of graphene, ensuring it remains at the forefront of discovery and innovation. 

One of the many groundbreaking innovations from the NGI is the recent advancement of graphene-based neural technologies, now entering the first phase of human trials. INBRAIN Neuroelectronics is using graphene-based brain-computer interface therapeutics to improve precision surgery for diseases such as cancer. 

The NGI has also seen the establishment of many high-profile collaborations and spinouts founded by its academics, or as a result of NGI-based research: 

• A collaboration between Inov-8 and the University led to the development of the world’s first graphene-enhanced running shoes, proven to be 50% stronger and more durable than other running shoes. This demonstrates the potential of graphene to revolutionise performance sportswear. 
• Molymem seeks to increase accessibility to clean water and air through 2D-enhanced membranes.  
• SmartIR is using breakthrough technology to control infrared thermal radiation, which could have applications in aerospace engineering. 
• Watercycle Technologies are designing and building mineral recovery systems from various sources, such as brines, industrial wastewater, and used batteries. 

At the heart of the National Graphene Institute’s pioneering research is its state-of-the-art 1,500m² nanofabrication facility, featuring ISO Class 5 and 6 cleanrooms spread across two floors. This advanced facility is dedicated to the fundamental research of graphene and 2D materials, and the development of cutting-edge devices that harness their exceptional properties. By providing such unique environment for precision research and innovation, the NGI continues to drive breakthroughs that push the boundaries of material science. 

Reflecting on the anniversary, Professor Vladimir Fal’ko, Director of the National Graphene Institute said: “This 10-year milestone is a testament to the NGI’s relentless pursuit of excellence and the collaborative spirit that has defined our journey. 

“We are immensely proud of the tangible impact our research has had across multiple sciences and industries and remain excited about harnessing 2D materials’ potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”  

Looking ahead, the NGI is committed to furthering its legacy of groundbreaking research and sustaining the pipeline of innovation together with its sister institute, the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), and the nurturing of the next generation of 2D materials scientists with the 2D Materials of Tomorrow (2DMoT) PhD programme. 

Innovative research remains at the forefront of the NGI’s mission, with the Institute currently exploring green hydrogen technologies, next-generation batteries and supercapacitors for faster AI and machine learning, advanced quantum electronics, and the continued development of research into nanofluidics, nanocomposites, and van der Waals materials.  

Innovative approach to spintronics

Spin transport electronics, or spintronics, represents a revolutionary alternative to traditional electronics by utilising the spin of electrons rather than their charge to transfer and store information. This method promises energy-efficient and high-speed solutions that exceed the limitations of classical computation, for next generation classical and quantum computation.

The Manchester team, led by Dr Ivan Vera-Marun, has fully encapsulated monolayer graphene in hexagonal boron nitride, an insulating and atomically flat 2D material, to protect its high quality. By engineering the 2D material stack to expose only the edges of graphene, and laying magnetic nanowire electrodes over the stack, they successfully form one-dimensional (1D) contacts.

Quantum behaviour and ballistic transport

The study explores the injection process via these 1D contacts at low temperatures (20 K), revealing that electron transport across the interface is quantum in nature. The contacts act as quantum point contacts (QPCs), commonly used in quantum nanotechnology and metrology.

First author of the paper, Dr Daniel Burrow, said “this quantum behaviour is evidenced by the measurement of quantised conductance through the contacts, indicating that the energy spectrum of electrons transforms into discrete energy subbands upon injection. By adjusting the electron density in the graphene and applying a magnetic field, we visualised these subbands and explored their connection with spin transport.”  

These QPCs, formed by using magnetic nanowires, avoid the need to engineer a physical constriction within the graphene channel, which makes their implementation more practical than previous approaches.

Implications for quantum nanotechnology

The state-of-the-art device architecture developed by the Manchester team offers a straightforward method for creating tuneable QPCs in graphene, overcoming fabrication challenges associated with other methods. The magnetic nature of the nanoscale contacts enables quantised spin injection, paving the way for energy-efficient devices in spin-based quantum nanotechnology.

Furthermore, the demonstration of ballistic spin injection presents an encouraging step towards the development of low-power ballistic spintronics. Future research efforts will focus on enhancing spin transport in graphene by leveraging the quantum nature of injection via the QPCs.

This research is part of the Horizon Europe Project "2D Heterostructure Non-volatile Spin Memory Technology" (2DSPIN-TECH), supported by a UKRI grant.

We’re home to 700 materials experts, revolutionising industries by developing advanced materials that unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and sustainability. Supported by the £885m campus investment over the last 10 years, our researchers are at the forefront of materials innovation, creating game-changing solutions. From healthcare to manufacturing, we’re tackling global challenges and ensuring the UK's reputation as a technology ‘super power'. Find out more about our advanced materials research.

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The collaboration between the two universities, which are both located in UK innovation hotspots, aims to boost growth and turbocharge a more inclusive economy, so everyone can benefit from the opportunities created by innovation.

Professor Ivison visited Cambridge as part of a delegation led by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, which also included the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Deborah Prentice.

Also representing The University of Manchester was Professor Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement and Professor Lou Cordwell, OBE, Professor of Innovation.

During his visit, Professor Ivison toured the Cambridge West Innovation District and paid a visit to the Cambridge Graphene Centre.

Graphene was first isolated at The University of Manchester in 2004, earning Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov the Nobel Prize in Physics. Two decades on, this wonder material has incredible potential to revolutionise how we live and it is being piloted for a breadth of medical and engineering purposes.

The visiting delegation also paid a visit to AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre (DISC), a state-of-the-art research facility. The biopharmaceutical giant is set to extend its ‘AstraZeneca Exchange’ science and business mentoring programme to Manchester entrepreneurs, helping early-stage life sciences businesses to develop their ideas and connect with scientific and commercial experts within the company.

The Glasshouse, a new innovation hub for Innovate Cambridge, was also officially opened by the Mayors. Academics, business and civil leaders from Cambridge and Manchester also attended the event to celebrate the collaboration between the two universities and Innovate Cambridge.

Professor Ivison said: “To keep the UK at the forefront of a truly inclusive growth agenda, we need to supercharge innovation - linking capital, talent, and research in ways that drive new economic growth.

“Working collaboratively, the partnership will build on the strengths of both cities’ universities and innovation ecosystems to deliver real benefits for our regions and beyond. Our ambition is to power an inclusive economy, positioning Manchester and Cambridge as central players on the global stage to accelerate growth for all in society.” 

The partnership is the first of its kind, and it aims to build closer relations between universities and research institutions, attract more investment and speed up the growth of start and scale-ups.

Chair of Greater Manchester Business Board and Professor of Innovation at the University of Manchester, Lou Cordwell, said: “This partnership is a groundbreaking initiative – bringing together two of the UK’s leading innovation cities to help us achieve more. Whether it’s researchers, entrepreneurs, established businesses or investors, we want to support a flow of innovation between our two places.

“Hearing from the Mayors, local leaders, businesses and universities today, the scale of the opportunity and level of ambition was clear and we’re excited to take the partnership further.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Greater Manchester and Cambridge are two world-renowned centres of innovation. This partnership is breaking new ground, creating strong new ties between the North of England and the Golden Triangle to drive regional and national economic growth.

“Our two places have distinct identities and unique strengths, but we also have a lot in common – world-leading universities and dynamic, fast-growing economies. We also share an ambition for growth that benefits everyone, with more people and businesses able to access the opportunities created by innovation. By working together, we can be greater than the sum of our parts.”

The Vice-Chancellor’s trip to Cambridge followed hot on the heels of the new government’s first Budget, in which research and development (R&D) is cited as one of the Chancellor’s key priorities. An increase in public R&D investment of £20.4billion in 2025/26 was announced in addition to a boosted budget of £13.9billion for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The partnership between The University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge aims to plot a new way forward for R&D and innovation-led growth.

Although scientists knew one atom thick, two-dimensional crystal graphene existed, no-one had figured out how to extract it from graphite, until Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov’s groundbreaking work in Manchester in 2004.

Geim and Novoselov frequently held ‘Friday night experiments’, where they would play around with ideas and experiments that weren’t necessarily linked to their usual research. It was through these experiments that the two first isolated graphene, by using sticky tape to peel off thin flakes of graphite, ushering in a new era of material science.

Their seminal paper ‘Electric Field Effect in Anatomically Thin Carbon Films’, has since been cited over 40,000 times, making it one of the most highly referenced scientific papers of all time.

What Andre and Kostya had achieved was a profound breakthrough, which would not only earn the pair a Nobel Prize in 2010 but would revolutionise the scientific world.

The vast number of products, processes and industries for which graphene could significantly impact all stem from its extraordinary properties. No other material has the breadth of superlatives that graphene boasts:

• It is many times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible
• It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent
• It is the world’s first two-dimensional material and is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

It’s areas for application are endless: transport, medicine, electronics, energy, defence, desalination, are all being transformed by graphene research.

In biomedical technology, graphene’s unique properties allow for groundbreaking biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery and DIY health-testing kits. In sport, graphene-enhanced running shoes deliver more grip, durability and 25% greater energy return than standard running trainers – as well as the world’s first graphene car.

Speaking at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit 2024, hosted by The University of Manchester, Professor Sir Andre Geim said: “If you have an electric car, graphene is there. If you are talking about flexible, transparent and wearable electronics, graphene-like materials have a good chance of being there. Graphene is also in lithium ion batteries as it improves these batteries by 1 or 2 per cent.”

The excitement, interest and ambition surrounding the material has created a ‘graphene economy’, which is increasingly driven by the challenge to tackle climate change, and for global economies to achieve zero carbon.

At the heart of this economy is The University of Manchester, which has built a model research and innovation community, with graphene at its core. The National Graphene Institute enables academics and their industrial partners to work together on new applications of graphene and other 2D materials, while the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre accelerates lab-market development, supporting more than 50 spin-outs and numerous new technologies.

Professor James Baker,  CEO of Graphene@Manchester said: “As we enter the 20^th anniversary since the first discovery of graphene, we are now seeing a real ‘tipping point’ in the commercialisation of products and applications, with many products now in the market or close to entering. We are also witnessing a whole new eco-system of businesses starting to scale up their products and applications, many of which are based in Manchester."

What about the next 20 years?

The next 20 years promise even greater discoveries and The University of Manchester remains at the forefront of exploring the limitless possibilities graphene yields.

Currently, researchers working with INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, with funding from the European Commission’s Graphene Flagship, are developing brain implants from graphene which could enable precision surgery for diseases such as cancer.

Researchers have also developed wearable sensors, based on a 2D material called hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which have the potential to change the way respiratory health is monitored.

As for sustainability, Dr Qian Yang is using nanocapillaries made from graphene that could lead to the development of a brand-new form of renewable energy, harnessed from raindrops, while others are looking into Graphene’s potential in grid applications and storing wind or solar power. Graphene is also being used to reinforce concrete, to reduce cement use – one of the leading causes of global carbon dioxide.

Newly-appointed Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair, Professor Rahul Nair, is investigating graphene-based membranes that can be used as water filters and could transform access to clean drinking water.

Speaking at the World Academic Summit, Professor Sir Andre Geim said: “Thousands of people are trying to understand how it works. I would not be surprised if graphene gets another Nobel prize or two given there are so many people who believe in this area of research.”

Discover more

To hear Andre’s story, including how he and Kostya discovered the wonder material in a Friday night lab session, visit: 

• BBC Radio 4 The Life Scientific: Andre Geim 

To find out more about The University of Manchester’s work on graphene, visit: 

• Graphene@Manchester 

To discover our world-leading research centre, or commercial accelerator, visit

• National Graphene Institute 
• Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre

To find out how we’re training the next generation of 2D material scientists and engineers, visit:

• 2DMot CDT.

Alzheimer's is marked by a loss of brain cells, whereas glioblastoma is responsible for rapid cell growth. The unexpected relationship between the two, known as ‘inverse comorbidity’, suggests that there might be a deeper biological connection we don’t yet understand. If we could work out what that connection is, we might be able to design vital new treatments. 

Now, a Manchester team are on a mission to discover the answer and make a positive difference, through what they’ve called the NanoNeuroOmics Project. 
 

The challenge they face 

Both Alzheimer's disease and glioblastoma are often quite well-advanced in a person, by the time they’re diagnosed. The current methods we use for this, such as PET or MRI scans, still aren’t very effective at early detection. What we really need are simple blood tests that can spot changes early on. 

In both conditions, the blood-brain barrier (which normally protects our brain), becomes more permeable – meaning it’s possible to detect disease-related molecules in the blood. This could in turn help us to identify people who were more at risk, and to monitor responses to different types of treatment. 

However, it won’t be easy. In current blood tests, when we’re looking for certain proteins – key indicators of disease – they’re often drowned out by a range of other proteins. Developing a way to spot those blood-based ‘biomarkers’ for brain health, which can easily be used in clinical practice, would be a key next step. 

How Manchester innovation could make a difference 

By merging expertise in nanotechnology, protein analysis, and blood biomarker discovery, the NanoOmics lab are aiming to: 

1. Identify new blood proteins(biomarkers) that could help in the early diagnosis and monitoring of the Alzheimer's and glioblastoma. 
2. To understand more about the link that Alzheimer's and glioblastoma share. 

The NanoOmics lab is looking to identify these unique biomarkers by tracking protein changes in blood and the brain over time, and across different stages of both diseases. They will use nanotechnology to detect these 'protein markers,' employing nanoparticles to isolate them from the multitude of other molecules present in the blood. With their ‘Nanoomics’ technology, these nanoparticles capture disease-related molecules, acting almost like tiny ’fishing nets’. Using this approach, the team can filter out a huge number of other proteins that are currently getting in the way. In turn, by analysing what they’ve captured, our researchers are aiming to identify new biomarkers that are currently undetectable by state-of-the art protein analysis approaches. 

Hope for the future 

To achieve this, Group Leader Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou and her NanoOmics team have been combining long-term studies in lab models, with validation studies using biofluids obtained from human patients. 

The aim isn’t only to search for new blood biomarkers, but to gain further insight into how neurological conditions work, so that we can connect changes we see in our blood with changes that can happen in our brain. 

Their approach is multidisciplinary, working with experts across both nanotechnology and omics sciences, to improve early disease detection and hopefully develop personalised treatment for future patients. 

NanoNeuroOmics represents a significant step forward in the quest to understand, detect and treat complex neurological diseases. 

About Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou 

Dr Hadjidemetriou is the NanoOmics Group Leader, and a Lecturer in Nanomedicine in Manchester’s School of Biological Sciences. 

She joined the Nanomedicine Lab at the University of Manchester as a Marie Curie Early-Stage Fellow and full-time PhD student, working on the development of the nanoparticle protein corona as a tool for cancer diagnostics. 

After her PhD, Dr Hadjidemetriou was granted a postdoctoral fellowship by the Medical Research Council, to focus on the discovery of novel biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease. She was also awarded a Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre Pump Priming Grant and the CRUK Pioneer Award, to work on the nanoparticle-enabled discovery of blood biomarkers for a variety of pathologies. 

Now leading the NanoOmics lab Dr Hadjidemetriou is aiming to develop nanotechnology platforms that explore disease pathways and uncover molecular biomarkers. 

Dr Hadjidemetriou’s recent research includes: 

• In vivo biomolecule corona and the transformation of a foe into an ally for nanomedicine 
• Nano-omics: nanotechnology-based multidimensional harvesting of the blood-circulating cancerome 
• Nanoparticle-Enabled Enrichment of Longitudinal Blood Proteomic Fingerprints in Alzheimer's Disease 
• Nanoscavengers for blood biomarker discovery in ovarian carcinoma 

To discuss this research, contact Dr Marilena Hadjidemetriou at marilena.hadjidemetriou@manchester.ac.uk 
 

The company has been selected from 30 international contenders to showcase its Direct Lithium Extraction and Crystallisation (DLEC™) technology by Chile’s state-owned mining body, the Empresa Nacional de Minería (‘ENAMI’). This selection follows a Request for Information issued by the state-owned company for innovative technologies that meet the economic, social, and environmental requirements for the sustainable development of Chile’s extensive lithium reserves.

This project will enable ENAMI to assess the technical and economic feasibility of Watercycle’s technology for lithium exploration in the northeastern Atacama Region. This represents a unique opportunity for Watercycle to showcase the capabilities of its technology alongside major competitors in the mining sector.

Watercycle Technologies is based at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) and focuses on sustainable and circular critical mineral recovery, including Direct Lithium Extraction and Crystallisation (DLEC™), essential to creating a circular economy for the global energy transition.

Watercycle Co-founder and CEO, Dr Seb Leaper, said: “It’s great to be representing UK technology on the world stage and we are very grateful to ENAMI for giving us the opportunity to do so. Demand for lithium is set to outstrip supply in the coming years as the global transport sector decarbonises. ENAMI is key to filling this supply gap and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with them in this endeavour.”

Professor James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, commented: "We are proud to see Watercycle Technologies, a University of Manchester spinout, being selected by ENAMI for this great opportunity. It is a testament to the world-class innovation emerging from our partnership at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). This project demonstrates how advanced materials  technologies can play a pivotal role in addressing global challenges like sustainable lithium extraction."

With over 60% of the world’s lithium supply found in South America, Chile is the leading commercial provider in the region. Watercycle is among eight companies selected by ENAMI, which include industry giants Rio Tinto and Eramet. 

A leading nanomedicine researcher at The University of Manchester has secured a €1.5m (£1.3m) European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to push forward pioneering research on Alzheimer’s disease and glioblastoma.

The five-year project, NanoNeuroOmics, aims to combine breakthroughs in nanotechnology, protein analysis, and blood biomarker discovery to make advances in two key areas.

First, the team led by Dr. Marilena Hadjidemetriou will explore the use of nanoparticles to enrich and isolate brain-disease specific protein biomarkers in blood. These discoveries could pave the way for simple, reliable blood tests that diagnose Alzheimer’s and glioblastoma in their early stages.

Second, the research will investigate the phenomenon of “inverse comorbidity,” which suggests that having one of these conditions may reduce the risk of developing the other. Dr. Hadjidemetriou and her team will explore this surprising relationship to uncover any deeper biological connection that could lead to new treatment pathways.

Building on her 2021 research, where Dr. Hadjidemetriou developed a nanoparticle-enabled technology to detect early signs of neurodegeneration in blood, this project has the potential to transform how these brain diseases are diagnosed and treated.

Dr. Hadjidemetriou’s previous work involved using nano-sized particles, known as liposomes, to "fish" disease-specific proteins from the blood. This breakthrough enabled her team to discover proteins directly linked to neurodegeneration processes in the brain, among thousands of other blood-circulating molecules. In animal models of Alzheimer’s, this nano-tool successfully captured hundreds of neurodegeneration-associated proteins. Once retrieved from the bloodstream, the molecular signatures on the surface of these proteins were analysed, offering a clearer picture of the disease at a molecular level.

Now, Dr. Hadjidemetriou's team will evolve this expertise to identify highly specific biomarkers by tracking protein changes in both blood and brain over time and across different stages of Alzheimer's and glioblastoma. By working with different nanomaterials, they hope to isolate these key protein markers from the complex mix of molecules in the blood.

The  NanoNeuroOmics project’s multidisciplinary approach brings together experts in nanotechnology and omics sciences to develop methods for detecting and potentially treating these diseases with greater precision. Research will be conducted at The University of Manchester’s Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine, a cutting-edge facility dedicated to advancing nanoscale technologies. The Centre's focus spans multiple fields, including omics, neurology, therapeutics, and materials science.

Dr. Hadjidemetriou’s team is also part of Manchester’s vibrant 2D materials science community, home to the discovery of graphene 20 years ago, continuing the university’s legacy of scientific innovation.

Lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles, store energy through a process known as ion intercalation. This involves lithium ions slipping between layers of graphite - a material traditionally used in battery anodes, when a battery is charged. The more lithium ions that can be inserted and later extracted, the more energy the battery can store and release. While this process is well-known, the microscopic details have remained unclear. The Manchester team’s discovery sheds new light on these details by focusing on bilayer graphene, the smallest possible battery anode material, consisting of just two atomic layers of carbon.

In their experiments, the researchers replaced the typical graphite anode with bilayer graphene and observed the behaviour of lithium ions during the intercalation process. Surprisingly, they found that lithium ions do not intercalate between the two layers all at once or in a random fashion. Instead, the process unfolds in four distinct stages, with lithium ions arranging themselves in an orderly manner at each stage. Each stage involves the formation of increasingly dense hexagonal lattices of lithium ions.

Professor Irina Grigorieva, who led the research team, commented, "the discovery of 'in-plane staging' was completely unexpected. It revealed a much greater level of cooperation between the lattice of lithium ions and the crystal lattice of graphene than previously thought. This understanding of the intercalation process at the atomic level opens up new avenues for optimising lithium-ion batteries and possibly exploring new materials for enhanced energy storage."

The study also revealed that bilayer graphene, while offering new insights, has a lower lithium storage capacity compared to traditional graphite. This is due to a less effective screening of interactions between positively charged lithium ions, leading to stronger repulsion and causing the ions to remain further apart. While this suggests that bilayer graphene may not offer higher storage capacity than bulk graphite, the discovery of its unique intercalation process is a key step forward. It also hints at the potential use of atomically thin metals to enhance the screening effect and possibly improve storage capacity in the future.

This pioneering research not only deepens our understanding of lithium-ion intercalation but also lays the groundwork for the development of more efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions. As the demand for better batteries continues to grow, the findings in this research could play a key role in shaping the next generation of energy storage technologies.

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Adding graphene to concrete can reduce CO₂ emissions by using less material without sacrificing strength. The consortium, led by Cemex and partnered with Galliford Try, Sika, Northumbrian Water, and Graphene@Manchester, will conduct research to develop and market more eco-friendly construction materials.

Working with partners representing the whole supply chain, application experts from Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), part of Graphene@Manchester will share their expertise and access to cutting edge equipment to support the consortium in designing, developing, scaling, and ‘de-risking’ the next generation of innovative construction materials. Led by Dr Lisa Scullion, who manages the GEIC’s concrete application division, the team will conduct research into the formulation and testing of an integrated micronized limestone and graphene-based admixtures.

Graphene@Manchester has demonstrated through previous collaborations with industry partners that adding graphene effectively enhances the mechanical properties of concrete, reducing the amount of material needed while maintaining early age strength development.

The aim on this project is to understand the benefits of uniting graphene with micronized limestone as a supplementary cementitious material.  The use of micronized limestone reduces the need for Ordinary Portland Cement, which is responsible for a significant portion of concrete's carbon emissions. It’s fine particle size and high surface area, also contributes to improved particle packing and hydration reactions in the concrete mix, enhancing strength and durability.

By using the materials together, the consortium hopes to further lower carbon concrete without compromising on strength, curing time, or the need to amend traditional production methods. The GEIC will formulate the mix, while the actual concrete pour will be at a Northumbria Water installation.

James Baker, CEO at Graphene@Manchester, added: This partnership showcases the power of our lab-to-market innovation model, where we collaborate with industry and its supply chain to scale and commercialise graphene and share the remarkable properties of this 2D (2 Dimensional) material. The outcomes of the project will foster engagement between innovation projects and end users, demonstrating market demand, reducing commercial risks, encouraging investment, and speeding up adoption. The potential for graphene-enhanced concrete to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions during manufacturing marks a major advancement in sustainable construction.”

Mike Higgins, National Technical Manager for Cemex UK, commented that “This partnership is a great example of experts working across the construction sector to drive innovative new approaches that aim to bring about additional benefits for the built environment, as it continues its journey towards a more sustainable future.”

Higgins goes on to add that, “The commercial potential of this innovation is substantial, given the urgent need for more sustainable building materials in the face of global climate challenges. This project encompasses a comprehensive plan from laboratory development to real-world application, ensuring the solution is not only technically viable but also commercially viable.”

Upon his visit to India, Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both governments committed to developing collaboration between The University of Manchester National Graphene Institute, the University of Cambridge Graphene Centre and the Indian Institute for Science Bengaluru Centre for Nano Science & Engineering on advanced (two-dimensional) 2D and atomically thin materials and nanotechnology.

The TSI will focus on boosting economic growth in both countries and tackling issues such as telecoms security and semiconductor supply chain resilience. For the University specifically, the collaboration will scope joint research ventures, facilitate student and start-up exchanges, and open access to world-leading laboratories and prototyping facilities.

The University of Manchester is already collaborating with a number of established partners in India, which has resulted in joint PhD programmes with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, which include a number of projects on 2D materials. The University is already immersed in the fields of Critical Minerals and Artificial Intelligence highlighted in the TSI, and hosted a UK-India Critical Minerals workshop in November 2023.

Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said: “The UK-India Technology Security Initiative will help shape the significant science and technology capabilities of both countries to deliver greater security, growth and wellbeing for our citizens. We are delighted to have The University of Manchester play a key part in this, particularly in our collaboration on advanced materials and critical minerals.”

This year The University of Manchester is celebrating its bicentenary and it recently hosted a gala celebration in India at the Taj Lands End hotel Mumbai, attended by over 200 Indian alumni and representatives from our current and prospective partner organisations in the country. The University has also awarded honorary degrees to eminent Indian academic and industrial leaders including Professor C.N.R Rao and Mr Ratan Tata.

Advanced Materials is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons, and the institution has a long history of innovation in this space. In 2004, the extraction of graphene from graphite was achieved by two University of Manchester researchers, Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov, with their pioneering work recognised with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

This prestigious award is designed to support students, postdoctoral researchers, recent graduates, and encourage new student cohorts to engage with MEC, in launching new businesses that involve graphene or other 2D materials. It’s all about sparking innovation and making a real impact in the commercial world, turning groundbreaking research into real, game-changing solutions for the future.

With awards of £50,000 and £20,000, we’re excited to celebrate the individuals or teams who showed how their graphene-related technology can be turned into a business. The applications were judged based on how solid their plans were for creating a new business related to graphene or 2D materials.

This award gives winners the perfect launchpad they need to kickstart their business. The University of Manchester understands how crucial flexible early-stage financial support is for these kinds of ventures, to help make these dreams a reality and bring a product or technology to the market.

This year, the top prize of £50,000 went to Kun Huang of Solar Ethos. Kun has a Master’s degree in Corrosion Control Engineering and a PhD in Material Physics. The second prize of £20,000 was awarded to Hafiza Hifza Nawaz of Fabstics, who has a PhD in Materials. We also congratulate the other finalists - Mohammadhossein Saberian of EcoTarTech and Ozan Zehni of Dorlion SHM.

The winners, pictured above with Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Deputy President Luke Georghiou:

• Left: First place - Solar Ethos
• Right: Second place - Fabstics

All finalists received support throughout the competition, which included: pitching workshops, help with applications by Scott Dean (CEO of Graphene Trace), and IP advice from Innovation Factory. These resources were key in helping them navigate the challenges of starting a business and turning their groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions.

Our top-tier judges included Professor Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Manchester; Lynn Sheppard, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre Director; Jessica McCreadie, Investment Director at Northern Gritstone; James Baker, CEO Graphene @Manchester at The University of Manchester; and Gareth Jones, Project Manager - Electronics at the University of Manchester Innovation Factory. Their expertise and dedication to encouraging innovation played a key role in choosing projects that could make a big difference.

We offer a huge congratulations to all the participants! We can’t wait to see the fantastic impact of their innovative work in the commercial world. By supporting these entrepreneurs, we're not only helping them achieve their dreams but also paving the way for future advancements that can tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Along with the awards, we heard inspiring speeches from high-profile individuals such as Lynn Sheppard, Professor James Baker, Dr. Vivek Koncherry, Liam Johnson, and Professor Luke Georghiou. They shared amazing insights about graphene and other 2D materials, emphasising the transformative potential of these technologies and the importance of ongoing innovation. We were also joined via Zoom from California by Dr. Eli Harari, founder of SanDisk, the memory storage technology company. He encouraged attendees to "Think Big!".

Eli & Britt Harari Award 2021 winner Dr. Vivek Koncherry, the CEO of Graphene Innovations Manchester, is making significant strides in connecting graphene technology with global business opportunities. Last year, he signed a $1 billion partnership with Quazar Investment Company to create a new company in the UAE aimed at tackling global sustainability challenges. Recognised as Manchester's answer to Elon Musk, Vivek recently impressed judges to win the North West heat of KPMG’s Tech Innovator in the UK 2024. With a strong background as an alumnus and researcher from The University of Manchester, Vivek exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Some notable quotes about the competition include Lynn Sheppard's encouragement, "For all the winners and nominees, your journey does not stop here, it goes on," and Prof. James Baker's insight, "Graphene can make a big difference in addressing the climate change challenges." Dr. Vivek Koncherry highlighted Manchester's entrepreneurial spirit by stating, "Manchester is very good for entrepreneurship," while Dr. Eli Harari inspired with, "We need people like you to aspire in making the world better." Liam Johnson appreciated the award's impact, saying, "The award allowed me to turn this idea to something tangible," and Prof. Luke Georghiou emphasised the importance of support with, "It's our duty to build an ecosystem to support the development of graphene."

Their words emphasised the event's theme of driving change and shaping a brighter future through cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship, wrapping up the event on an exhilarating high.

Entitled ‘Manchester Model: Industry led, academic fed’, the event brought to life how Graphene@Manchester’s ecosystem supports partners in leveraging the capabilities of 2D materials – from 2D material research tailored to organisation’s application needs, to accelerating their real-world translation. 

Professor James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester explains: “We offer something unique in UK academia: a comprehensive pipeline for scaling up, supporting industry through technology readiness levels 1 to 7. This is possible due to three key strengths: our world-leading community of research and innovation experts, our state-of-the-art facilities, and our lab-to-market expertise, where we can support industry in developing products with improved performance and reduced environmental impact. 

"Our University is at the forefront of the 2D materials revolution and serves as the UK's principal knowledge partner for the commercialisation of 2D materials. Today's event aimed to showcase our exceptional capabilities to a new industry audience, enabling them to benefit from our unparalleled offerings." 

Over the course of the two days, attendees met academics – including Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, the Nobel Prize winning scientist who isolated graphene in 2004 with Professor Sir Andre Geim – and application experts leading cutting-edge research from lab to market; toured Manchester’s world-leading facilities, National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC); met companies who have already benefited from their partnership with Manchester; and were shown how the University is training a new generation of 2D materials experts.  

They were also invited to the Eli and Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award presentation. This annual award, in association with Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Andre Geim, is gifted to help the implementation of commercially-viable business proposals from our students, post-doctoral researchers and recent graduates. 

‘Manchester Model: Industry led, academic fed’ was hosted in the run up to the official 20^th anniversary of the first graphene paper. It recognised the University’s continued role in driving a fast-growing graphene economy.  

The University of Manchester is home to the highest-density graphene and 2D material research and innovation community in the world, comprising more than 350 experts spanning various disciplines, including physics, materials science, chemistry, neuroscience. This community includes academics, engineers and application experts, who bridge the gap between academia and the real-world needs of businesses, and innovation leaders, investment experts, IP advisors, plus operational and specialist technical staff.  

Renowned for rapidly advancing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), this community is centred around two specialist facilities: the £62m academic-led NGI; and the multi-million pound research translation centre, the GEIC.  

The NGI is the hub for groundbreaking 2D material research, featuring 150m² of class five and six cleanrooms. It is home to Nobel Prize-winning Professor Sir Andre Geim, who, along with Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, isolated graphene in 2004 and who continues to support a leading community of fundamental science researchers. 

The GEIC focuses on accelerating the development of lab-to-market innovations. In just five years, it has supported over 50 spin-outs and launched numerous new technologies, products, and applications in collaboration with industrial partners. These include a groundbreaking hydrogel for vertical farming and a method for extracting lithium from water for battery production. 

Read more about the event at the dedicated Industry academic showcase page. 

Visit Graphene@Manchester to contact Graphene@Manchester’s experts and discover the facilities available. 

To discuss semicoductor research, talk about potential collaboration, or to access facilities contact us here.